The Premier League's big four have made such a habit out of challenging for Champions League glory that it is almost impossible to imagine one of them missing out on the tournament altogether.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have contested Europe's blue riband club competition every year since 2003, reaching at least one final apiece since 2005.
But, under changes to the qualifying rounds that come into effect next season, the team finishing fourth in the Premier League could be in for a rude awakening.
Liverpool needed a last-gasp goal against Standard Liege just to come through qualifying in August and now that process is likely to be even more difficult.
Not for the first time, Uefa president Michel Platini is looking to shake things up.
Platini wants to reduce the number of non-champions from countries such as England, Spain and Italy and increase the number of champions from the likes of Bulgaria, Slovakia and Latvia in the competition.
Big four's Champions League income from Uefa since 1992
Manchester United: �226m
Arsenal: �179m
Chelsea: �145m
Liverpool: �122m
A qualifying path will, therefore, be reserved solely for non-champions from the higher-ranked countries - and that could see England's fourth team pitted against the fourth team from Spain or Italy.
"We introduced this new format after discussions with the clubs but of course there will be losers," Uefa's general secretary David Taylor told BBC Sport.
"To the big clubs who may miss out I would say tough luck. This is a sporting competition and there is no guarantee of success.
"This is good for European football because we are refreshing the competition and we will have increased interest with clubs who have possibly never played in the Champions League before."
Platini has not had everything his own way - the teams finishing third in England, Spain and Italy are to gain direct entry to the group stage - but he thinks the alterations will help rejuvenate the competition and improve the quality of teams and leagues across Europe.
If one of England's big four did fail to qualify for the Champions League the potential financial and sporting ramifications do not bear thinking about, even more so at a time of a global economic crisis.
Clubs contesting the Champions League proper earn between �4.6m-�20.4m, a share of the �237.31m television pot and matchday income, which for each of the big four is about �3m per match.
From Uefa alone, 2008 winners Manchester United earned almost �42m and runners-up Chelsea more than �36m.
Champions League income 2008-09
Group stage starting bonus: �2.6m
Match bonus: �345,310 per match
Performance bonuses: �517,965 per win �259,000 per draw
First knockout round: �1.9m per team
Quarter-finals: �2.15m per team
Semi-finals: �2.6m per team
Runner-up: �3.45m
Winner: �6m
Television pool: �240.66m
"Because of the massive amounts of money at stake, the English quartet all budget to reach the group stage every year and if they don't get there, they are in huge trouble," said football analyst Alex Fynn.
"To do well domestically is an end in itself but it is also a means to an even bigger end, which is the Champions League."
Uefa believes any hostility from the clubs is a small price to pay for making the Champions League more exciting.
Taylor points to the way 2008 Champions League debutants Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus) and BATE Borisov (Belarus) have spiced up the competition.
The worry is that the changes will prove purely cosmetic and critics argue that the competition has become too predictable before the knockout rounds begin each February.
The eight teams originally regarded as favourites to win their groups this season have lost just four of 40 matches played.
"Competitive balance is a concern and the trend in general is on the decline in all competitions," said Alex Phillips, Uefa's head of professional football services. "It's something we consider closely when making changes to the Champions League."
In many sports people talk about the podium but the podium only has room for three
Football analyst Alex Fynn
Phillips's boss Taylor, though, concedes that the inclusion of more champions from lower-ranked countries could result in the big clubs continuing to have it their own way.
When the potential changes were originally examined by Uefa's strategy council, there was support for the adoption of a total knockout format, which was how the European Cup was contested until 1991.
Unfortunately for the purists, most clubs want or need the income generated by a guaranteed minimum number of games and so, for now, the Champions League will retain its current format.
"These things are all a little bit cyclical and I don't think we see dominance from one particular club or country for a long period of time," said Taylor.
"There are five big football countries in Europe and they will always provide the bulk of the winners.
Platini wants no more than three teams per country in the Champions League
"But there are other countries, like the Netherlands and Portugal, who from time to time can produce clubs who can win tournaments and we have to continue to allow that possibility.
"The changes from 2009 increase the chances of that happening and anything we can do to that extent helps."
Fynn, for one, applauds the changes, arguing that the big clubs have had things their own way for far too long.
"In many sports people talk about the podium but the podium only has room for three," he said.
"Finishing first, second or third in a big league should give you right of entry into the group stage.
"Likewise if you finish first or second in a smaller league, or as champions in the smallest leagues.
"But fourth? A fourth place was only introduced when Uefa were trying to prevent the big clubs from forming their own break-away competition."
Leagues 16-53:
16 Switzerland 17 Bulgaria 18 Norway 19 Denmark 20 Austria 21 Serbia 22 Israel 23 Sweden 24 Slovakia 25 Poland 26 Hungary 27 Croatia 28 Cyprus 29 Slovenia 30 Finland 31 Latvia 32 Bosnia-Herzegovina 33 Lithuania 34 Moldova 35 Ireland 36 Macedonia 37 Israel 38 Georgia 39 Liechtenstein 40 Belarus 41 Estonia 42 Azerbaijan 43 Albania 44 Armenia 45 Kazakhstan 46 Northern Ireland 47 Wales 48 Faroe Islands 49 Luxembourg 50 Malta 51 Montenegro 52 Andorra 53 San Marino
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