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A unique combination of results could lead to an unprecedented nine Premier League clubs qualifying for European competitions next season.

The battle for Champions League spots is intensifying in the Premier League, with only five points separating the teams fighting for a fifth-place finish.

Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday confirmed that the top five Premier League sides will feature in Europe’s elite tournament next season.

UEFA grants an additional qualification spot to the two domestic leagues that deliver the best overall performance across its three major European tournaments.

Last season, Newcastle United were the main beneficiaries of this rule, earning a Champions League berth after finishing fifth in the Premier League with 66 points.

The Magpies edged out Aston Villa on goal difference and finished a single point ahead of Nottingham Forest. Now, Vitor Pereira’s Nottingham Forest have a chance to script their own European success story — and potentially help ensure that as many as nine English clubs compete in Europe next season.

Tottenham Hotspur, for instance, brought an end to their 17-year silverware drought last season by beating Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final in Bilbao, thanks to a scrappy first-half strike from Brennan Johnson.

Despite finishing 17th in the Premier League — well above the relegation zone but far from the top — Tottenham secured Champions League qualification through that Europa League triumph.

If Nottingham Forest repeat that feat by winning the Europa League while finishing in the lower half of the table, six English clubs would participate in the Champions League next season.

To add another European qualification spot, either Manchester City or Chelsea would need to win the FA Cup while also finishing in the Premier League’s top six. The FA Cup winners automatically book a Europa League place, and if the winner has already qualified for Europe, that spot passes down to the seventh-placed team.

Manchester City, currently sitting second in the Premier League standings, look almost certain to finish inside the top five. That means the UEFA Conference League berth they earned by winning the Carabao Cup will instead pass to the side finishing eighth.

As a result, the teams occupying the first through eighth positions in the Premier League would claim European spots at various levels. For Nottingham Forest to make it nine, they would need to win the Europa League while finishing ninth or lower in the league table.

To bring this scenario to life, Chelsea will meet Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final at the end of April, while Manchester City take on Southampton in the other semi-final — both teams edging closer to the coveted trophy.

Before those domestic cup clashes, Nottingham Forest must first keep their Europa League campaign alive, as Pereira’s side prepare to face Porto in the quarter-final on Thursday.