West Ham United and Everton could be chasing a prize neither club really wants this season.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman and West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic
The Hammers have turned around a dismal season in the last two months to pull clear of any threat of relegation and sit in 10th place in the Premier League, with Slaven Bilic looking up rather than down the table.
The Toffees have also come through a sticky spell in their first season under new boss Ronald Koeman and sit in something of a no-man’s land of seventh, some way off the top six and comfortably ahead of the teams below them.
Both sides are among the form teams in the top flight and depending on the outcome of the domestic and European cup competitions are in contention for a place in the Europa League.
But given experiences in recent seasons would that be a reward either club would welcome?
West Ham have been embarrassingly dumped out of the Europa League at the qualifying stages by the same side, Romanian minnows Astra Giurgiu in consecutive seasons.
Meanwhile, Everton’s time in the competition back in the 2014/15 season was blamed for poor league performance by former manager Roberto Martinez.
The UEFA Europa League trophy
The Goodison Park side finished 11th amid a busy fixture schedule having made the last 16 of the Europa League.
While the Europa League now offers the huge carrot of a place in the Champions League to the eventual winners, the gruelling schedule to get there can have a big impact even on decent squads.
While supporters are always keen to see their team qualify for Europe, the harsh reality of the competition’s demands often means it is the first thing blamed for below par performances.
A dubious reward if ever there was one.
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