Unai Emery’s team are well placed to secure a return to Europe’s top club competition.
Villa’s pursuit of a Champions League place has been boosted after it was confirmed the Premier League will have at least five teams in next season’s competition.
Arsenal’s win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night guaranteed England’s top flight one of this season’s two extra performance spots.
That means a top-five finish in the league will now be good enough to secure Villa a return to the Champions League for next season.
Unai Emery’s men currently sit fourth, six points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea, with seven matches of the season remaining.
The extra places are awarded to the two leagues with the best overall performance in European competition over the course of the season.
All nine Premier League clubs competing in Europe this term reached the last-16.
Though only five made it through to the quarter-finals, co-efficient points earned during the league phase put them in a strong position to claim one of the additional places.
Villa have more than played their part in the Premier League’s success, winning nine of their 10 matches in the Europa League.
Emery’s team face Bologna on Thursday in the first leg of a quarter-final tie.
Winning the Europa League would also secure Villa a return to the Champions League.
Should they do that and finish outside the Premier League’s top-five, England would have six teams competing in next year’s Champions League.
There is also a scenario where the Premier League could see as many as seven teams qualify for next season’s competition, should Liverpool and Villa finish fifth and sixth and win this year’s Champions League and Europa League respectively.
Should that happen, seventh place in the top flight would be enough to land a Champions League spot.
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