Poland is chasing its biggest rival! This is how the UEFA national rankings look.

Poland started this season in 13th place. The minimum goal is to maintain a spot in the top 15. This gives them the right to field five teams in cup competitions (including two in the Champions League qualifiers, a right they will exercise next season).

The realistic goal is to finish 13th or 14th, which would give the Polish champions a place in the 4th round of the Champions League qualifiers (and therefore a guarantee of playing in at least the Europa League).

Eleventh and 12th place would mean that the Polish Cup winner or the third-place team in the league would start the Europa League qualifying round in the fourth round—meaning they would play in at least the Conference League. And our chances of achieving that are increasing. You can read more about what each place means and where our ceiling is in this article >>

It's often said that every match matters – and that's definitely true. That's why Lech Poznań's narrow victory over the Icelandic champions on Wednesday (1-0 thanks to a goal by Mikael Ishak) is so important. That goal was worth an additional 0.125 points. It doesn't sound like much, but over the next five years, every draw like that, turning into a win, is crucial.

Now the Polish champions will face much more difficult matches against Crvena Zvezda, but the key information is that Lech will definitely play in the cups in the autumn (at least in the Conference League).

And we've also made up some points behind 12th-placed Norway and 11th-placed Greece. Here's our slice of the UEFA national rankings:

• 11. Greece 35,712 points
• 12. Norway 33,687 points
• 13. Poland 32,625 points
• 14. Denmark 30,731 points
• 15. Austria 30,450 points
• 16. Switzerland 28,800 points
• 17. Scotland 27,650 points

The Greeks added 0.100 points this week after Panathinaikos drew with Rangers (1-1). The Greek runner-up was eliminated after a 2-0 defeat in the first leg and will now likely play in the Europa League qualifiers against Shakhtar Donetsk (they beat Besiktas 4-2 in Istanbul). For Poland, it would be best if Panathinaikos were eliminated from the competition altogether – but they would have to lose to both Shakhtar (which is very possible) and their opponent in the 4th round of the Conference League qualifiers (where the Greeks will likely be seeded). Our gap to the Greeks is now 3.087 points. That's a lot, but it's still possible to make up.

This is what the top of the UEFA national ranking looks like

Brann has a more difficult path to the cups. The Norwegian runners-up were eliminated by Salzburg (1-4 in the first leg, 1-1 on Wednesday, +0.100 points). And their road to the league stage will be more difficult. In the third round of the Europa League qualifiers, they will probably face Anderlecht (they beat Hacken 1-0 at home), and if Brann loses, they will be unseeded in the decisive phase of the Europa League draw.

And their elimination at this stage will make it much easier for Poland to overtake Norway. The difference now stands at just 1,062 points. The Norwegians are in an increasingly difficult situation, and at the moment they are emerging as our biggest rival, and we must keep a close eye on their actions.

Denmark's FC Copenhagen won both matches against Drita (2-0 and 1-0) and will now face Sweden's Malmoe in the third round of the Champions League qualifiers. Poland currently leads by a relatively safe 1,894 points.

Salzburg's advancement means they are now assured of at least a spot in the Europa League. Their next opponent in the Champions League qualifiers will be Club Brugge. Their lead over Austria is 2.175 points.

Switzerland didn't add any points. Servette defeated Viktoria Plzen 1-0 away, but lost 3-1 in the return and will be relegated to the Europa League qualifiers. There, they will likely play Utrecht (they beat Sheriff Tiraspol 3-1 away). And here the Brann situation repeats itself: the best solution for Poland would be two consecutive eliminations for Servette, preventing them from even playing in the Europa League. That's possible. If they lose to Utrecht, the Swiss runners-up will not be seeded for the decisive Europa League qualifiers. However, this isn't as important from our perspective right now (as Brann's elimination), as their lead over Switzerland is already 3.825 points.

It's worth keeping an eye on the Scots, even though they trail Poland by a whopping 4.975 points. Rangers drew 1-1 with Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifiers, adding 0.100 points, but have already secured a spot in at least the Europa League (their opponents in the Champions League qualifiers will be Viktoria Plzen). This means the Scots already have three teams in the cup competitions this fall: Celtic will play in the Champions League or Europa League, and Aberdeen in the Europa League or Europa League.

Even more changes in the standings will come on Thursday. At 8:15 PM, Jagiellonia Białystok will play FK Novi Pazar in the LK qualifiers (2-1 in the first leg), while Raków Częstochowa will kick off the second leg away against Žilina at 8:30 PM (they won 3-0 at home). Both teams are expected to advance, but it would also be helpful to win the second legs, as Lech did.

Legia Warsaw's clash with Banik Ostrava (9:00 PM) is crucial. If Legia advances (they drew 2-2 in the Czech Republic), even a defeat in either of the two two-legged tie will secure them the trophy in the fall.

If Raków advances, they will face Maccabi Haifa or Torpedo Zhodzino (1-1 in the first leg). Jagiellonia will face Akureyri or Silkeborg (1-1).

If Legia advances, they will face either AEK Larnaca or NK Celje (1-1). If they are eliminated, they will likely face Austria Wien (2-0 against Spaeri) in the LK qualifiers.