The battle in Deventer and Alkmaar has been won and the cup finalists have been announced: will Ajax extend its title on April 17 or will PSV also snatch the KNVB Cup for the team from Amsterdam after the Johan Cruijff Scale? However, this cup final is also interesting for all clubs in the left row of the Eredivisie. VoetbalPrimeur discusses the new battle for European tickets.
Normally, the numbers one, two and three would go straight into Europe, just like the cup winner. As numbers one and two, Ajax and PSV have little to do with the Europa League ticket that is linked to a cup win. If everything stays that way, that ticket for the cup winner goes to the number three: then Feyenoord – thanks to its two biggest rivals – would not qualify for the Conference League, but for the Europa League preliminary rounds.
AZ would of course have preferred to be in De Kuip itself, but can also benefit from the outcome of the final. According to the current standings, the number four in the Eredivisie is ready after 34 rounds of play and does not have to play play-offs. That honor was actually reserved for the numbers four to seven, but that will now be the numbers five to eight. Perhaps SC Cambuur and NEC will take the leap from the Kitchen Champion Division to the Conference League in one year?
