Why not? 

Those will be the words on the lips of David Moyes and Keith Andrews, the managers of Everton and Brentford, ahead of their tussle in west London on Saturday.

Why not dream of European football? Why not, even, aim higher than just the Europa League or Conference League… and take a punt at the top five which would bring Champions League football?

If one had highlighted this mid-April game as a six-pointer when the fixtures were announced, many might have thought the reason would be a relegation battle.

After all, Everton have spent the last five years nervously looking over their shoulders rather than craning their necks up the table.

Likewise when Thomas Frank left Brentford for Tottenham, many would have tipped the Bees as a side in danger of dropping and his new employers in north London to be on a European charge – not the opposite.

Indeed, rookie coach Andrews was written off by many outsiders after the club also sold Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and captain Christian Norgaard in the same summer window.

But here we are with seven games to play, Brentford and Everton – coincidentally the tenants of the two newest stadiums in the Premier League – both on 46 points, three behind fifth-placed Liverpool.

Chelsea, who Everton thrashed 3-0 in their last outing three weeks ago, are sixth. Liam Rosenior’s side are on a rotten run, though, with one win in their last six league outings ahead of fixtures against Manchester City and Manchester United in the next week.

Liverpool are not much better. They’ve not won a league game since February and have a tough run-in with every remaining fixture against top-half teams, including both of the disruptors Everton (the first Hill Dickinson Stadium Merseyside Derby) and Brentford.

So why not?

‘Firstly I hope I am not talking too quickly, you ask the question so I’ll answer,’ said Moyes, wary of jinxing things. ‘But the fact of the matter is I do want to talk about it. This club and these supporters have suffered so much.

‘The thought of getting them back into Europe to me makes me think it would be fantastic for the supporters here and the club and everything they have been through recently.’

He added: ‘It’s probably the best chance we’ve had for a long time. But the word Champions League is… pfff… that makes me shake!

‘If you said Europe in any competition, if it was the Tiddlywinks European competition we got in, we would be excited! Evertonians, we want to be amongst it, we want to be talked about again, we have a lot of good things going for us now – the stadium, one or two England internationals.’

This week confirmed that the Premier League will get five teams in the Champions League at least.

It could be more, should a team qualify by winning either the Champions League or Europa League. That would boost the case of Andrews and Moyes.

All in, England could have a maximum 11 teams in Europe as Leeds or Southampton could qualify via winning the FA Cup and Crystal Palace could get into the Europa League by winning the Conference League this year.

Confusing, maybe. But it is not confusing to know that presuming none of those things happen, seventh place – currently occupied by the Bees – will get to the Conference League.