Manchester City are in the unfamiliar position of beginning a new year outside the top five in the Premier League.

The Blues have stuttered in recent weeks and months and a welcome win over Leicester City on Sunday improved their run to two wins in 14 in all competitions. West Ham United visit the Etihad on Saturday seeking back to back top flight victories for the first time since late October.

Pep Guardiola has already conceded the title is out of reach, with leaders Liverpool 14 points clear of the Blues with a game in hand. Indeed qualifying for next season's Champions League has to be the target for City, who have not missed out on a place in Europe's elite competition since 2011.

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And they could be handed a boost in that ambition with the Premier League currently set to secure an extra Champions League spot. The top four qualify automatically but fifth could be enough depending on the co-efficient performances of clubs in Europe.

Last season, the Premier League missed out to Serie A and the Bundesliga but this term has started promisingly for England's European contingent and that significantly raises the prospects of an extra place in the Champions League for 2025-26.

City will still hope to finish inside the top four domestically with Chelsea showing signs of weakness in recent weeks while Nottingham Forest would have to further exceed expectations to hold their position until May. With Manchester United and Tottenham floundering there is an opportunity for City to be best placed to chase down Liverpool and Arsenal.

The Blues will also hope to seal European progress to the play-off round in the coming weeks and their showings on the continent will have a direct impact on whether fifth place in the Premier League earns an extra spot in the Champions League.

The two extra places go to the two leagues with the best average coefficient scores, which takes into account performances across all three European competitions. The points gained are added together and divided by the number of clubs each country has in Europe. There is added weight to showings in the Champions League and for victories in knockout matches.

Chelsea's 100 per cent record in the Conference League and Liverpool's in the Champions League means England's clubs are performing well. All seven sides are in contention to get out of the group stages and it means the Premier League would receive an extra place as things stand, along with Serie A.

Portugal, Belgium and Spain are the next three leagues in the table with German and French clubs having struggled so far meaning the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are further down the rankings.

But there is a long way to go and there will be another shake up at the end of the Champions League and Europa League group stages with the potential for the picture to change dramatically once knockout football begins.