Unai Emery's Aston Villa are in the driving seat to qualify for the Champions League at the expense of either Liverpool or Chelsea
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
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Aston Villa will tackle the final two months of the season with a significant opportunity to return to the Champions League.
When domestic football resumes after the March international break, Villa will have seven games remaining. Realistically, four wins should be enough to secure a return to UEFA’s elite club competition.
Even if Chelsea were to win five of their final seven matches - a strong run by any standard - they would reach 63 points. For Villa to surpass that total, they would need just 10 points from a possible 21: three wins and a draw.
Villa’s next five league fixtures - Nottingham Forest (A), Sunderland (H), Fulham (A), Tottenham (H), and Burnley (A) - present a crucial opportunity. Taking at least 10 points from that run would put them in a commanding position before finishing the season against Liverpool (H) and Manchester City (A).
Liverpool, currently just one point ahead of Chelsea on 49, would reach 64 points if they also won five of their final seven matches. Their run-in includes Fulham (H), Everton (A), Crystal Palace (H), Manchester United (A), Chelsea (H), Villa (A), and Brentford (H).
Chelsea, meanwhile, face a challenging set of matches: Manchester City (H), Manchester United (H), Brighton (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Liverpool (A), Tottenham (H), and Sunderland (A).
You can now predict how Villa will end the season - and indeed where they’ll finish in the league - by using our predictor tool below.
Manchester United - 55 points
April 11: Leeds United (H)
April 18: Chelsea (A)
April 25: Brentford (H)
May 2: Liverpool (H)
May 9: Sunderland (A)
May 17: Nottingham Forest (H)
May 24: Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
Aston Villa - 54 points
April 11: Nottingham Forest (A)
April 18: Sunderland (H)
April 25: Fulham (A)
May 2: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
May 9: Burnley (A)
May 17: Liverpool (H)
May 24: Manchester City (A)
Liverpool - 49 points
April 11: Fulham (H)
April 18: Everton (A)
April 25: Crystal Palace (H)
May 2: Manchester United (A)
May 9: Chelsea (H)
May 17: Aston Villa (A)
May 24: Brentford (H)
Chelsea - 48 points
April 11: Manchester City (H)
April 18: Manchester United (H)
April 25: Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
May 2: Nottingham Forest (H)
May 9: Liverpool (A)
May 17: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
May 24: Sunderland (A)
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