Three of the four Premier League clubs participating in Europe's lesser continental competitions are facing domestic challenges. Bournemouth and Sunderland are currently positioned third and fourth from bottom in the Premier League table. Crystal Palace, who were 12th before the weekend's fixtures, are placed 18th in Opta's expected points table.
These four Premier League clubs are set to play each other on Sunday. While Brighton is thriving, the other three are not. Sunderland's early season fixtures included games against Manchester City, Arsenal, Brighton, and Brentford, who were the top four teams heading into this weekend. Bournemouth has been impacted by injuries to key players, including Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott.
For these three clubs, their unsettled starts cannot be attributed entirely or primarily to their European commitments. However, evidence from the past five years indicates that teams not playing in Europe the previous season often see their league position fall when they do participate in European competitions.