We’re approaching the business end of the 2025-26 season, and Chelsea have their work cut out if they’re to catch Aston Villa, Manchester United or Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.
Arsenal’s victory over Sporting in the Champions League in midweek confirmed that the Premier League will once again have five qualification places for next season’s edition of UEFA’s premier cup competition.
But there are seven points separating Manchester United in third and Chelsea in sixth, with Aston Villa and Liverpool in between.
Liverpool moved four points clear of Chelsea with Saturday’s routine 2-0 victory over Fulham. The pressure is now mounting on Liam Rosenior at Stamford Bridge, given the Blues have now lost three in a row and won just one of their last seven outings in the Premier League.
Aston Villa have been talked up as surprise title contenders, but they’ve fallen completely out of the race since Christmas.
Unai Emery has stressed that Villa’s challenge this season is for Champions League qualification, and that has proven to be the case.
Their excellent winning run in the autumn made them look shoo-ins for a top-five finish at one point, but they’ve recently fallen behind Manchester United and looked in danger of being leapfrogged by Chelsea and Liverpool.
Manchester United are the league’s form side, winning several big matches under Michael Carrick’s interim management.
Their current trajectory, and their lack of cup distractions – particularly in Europe – could well give them the edge over their competitors for the top four.
They do still have to play Chelsea and Liverpool. Those six-pointers could well prove decisive come the final table, and very few of the Red Devils’ remaining fixtures look straightforward on paper.
Reigning champions Liverpool are currently fifth and the unthinkable prospect of failing to qualify for the Champions League looks increasingly possible.
They finished 14 places above rivals Manchester United last season, with literally double their points tally, but they now find themselves three points behind and in considerably worse form.
Arne Slot’s Reds do at least have a favourable-ish run of fixtures coming up, which gives them the opportunity of putting themselves in a commanding position when it comes to the end-of-season crunch matches against top-five rivals United, Chelsea and Villa.
If Liverpool win the Merseyside derby next week, Villa beat Sunderland, and Manchester United beat Chelsea then the race could be all but over.
We’ve broken down the remaining fixtures for all five teams, including the position of their opponents at the time of writing.
Manchester United – 3rd, 55 points
Leeds (H) — 15th
Chelsea (A) — 6th
Brentford (H) — 7th
Liverpool (H) — 5th
Sunderland (A) — 10th
Nottingham Forest (H) — 16th
Brighton (A) — 9th
Aston Villa – 4th, 55 points
Sunderland (H) — 10th
Fulham (A) — 12th
Tottenham (H) — 18th
Burnley (A) — 19th
Liverpool (H) — 5th
Manchester City (A) — 2nd
Liverpool – 5th, 52 points
Everton (A) — 8th
Crystal Palace (H) — 13th
Manchester United (A) — 3rd
Chelsea (H) — 6th
Aston Villa (A) — 4th
Brentford (H) — 7th
Chelsea – 6th, 48 points
Manchester United (H) — 3rd
Brighton (A) — 9th
Nottingham Forest (H) — 16th
Liverpool (A) — 5th
Tottenham (H) — 18th
Sunderland (A) — 10th
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