Chelsea's slide down the Premier League table continues.
On Tuesday night, the Blues put in a truly pitiful display, swatted aside 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls racked up an xG figure of 2.14, creating five big chances, to the Blues 0.37 xG, no big chances and no shots on target.
They have now lost five successive Premier League games, all without scoring, for the first time since 1912, the year the Titanic sank.
As a result, there are serious question marks about what UEFA competition Chelsea will end up in, if any, and what impact Clearlake Capital's ownership of Strasbourg could have on this.
Well, let's first examine which competition the West London-based BlueCo operation are most-likely to find themselves in.
England's current European spot allocation (subject to chance)
- 1st-5th: UEFA Champions League league phase.
- 6th & 7th: UEFA Europa League league phase.
- 8th: UEFA Conference League play-off round.
European qualification is a lot more convoluted than the above most-likely outcome would suggest. If Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish exactly fifth, then the sixth place finishers will also earn a Champions League spot.
Meanwhile, were Leeds United or Southampton able to win the FA Cup, then they would clinch a Europa League berth, taking one away from league placing.
Of course, the same could be said of Chelsea; the way Liam Rosenior's side are heading in the Premier League table, may need to hoist the FA Cup aloft next month to salvage European qualification.
Chelsea and Strasbourg will be allowed to play in same UEFA competition next season
Either-way, it now appears very unlikely that the Blues will get back into Europe's premier club competition so, for arguments sake, let's say they end up in the Europa League one way or another, could they face Strasbourg once there?
Well, les Bleu et Blanc are currently eighth in Ligue 1, seven points below Monaco, the current occupants of the final possible European position. However, they do have two potential routes into the Europa League.
On Wednesday night, Gary O'Neil's team will welcome Nice to Stade de la Meinau in the Coupe de France semi-finals. They are firm favourites to win that tie, thereby reaching a first final since 2001, where high-fliers Lens will await at the Stade de France on 23 May.
Meantime, Strasbourg are also through to the Conference League semi-finals. Rayo Vallecano will be their opponents, with the first leg at Vallecas next Thursday, hoping to meet either Shakhtar Donetsk or Crystal Palace in Leipzig next month.
Were les Bleu et Blanc to win either competition, or indeed both, they would qualify for next year's Europa League, so would they and Chelsea be allowed in?
Well, last summer, due to multi-club ownership rules, Lyon and Palace were not both permitted into the Europa League, which saw the Eagles demoted and Nottingham Forest take their place.
However, a report by L’Equipe claims that BlueCo are prepared for this eventuality, having put their shares in the French outfit into a blind trust. They have also removed co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart from Strasbourg's board, very much using the loopholes laid out by UEFA.
Thus, despite the fact Strasbourg have eight current, former or future Chelsea players in their squad, the pair could meet in Europe next season. Would Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali be in attendance in half-and-half scarves?
For this to even be a possibility, Chelsea are going to have to score a goal and win a football match which, at this present moment, doesn't appear overly likely.
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