Chelsea get Champions League qualification boost as Premier League permutations explained
Chelsea can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League, but the race for a place in Europe’s elite competition is largely out of their hands.
Enzo Fernandez for Chelsea(Image: Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Although it’s mathematically impossible for Chelsea to finish in the top five of the Premier League, they can still clinch qualification to the Champions League. After six successive defeats in the English top-flight, the Blues have conceded significant ground in the race for a place in Europe’s elite competition.
Last weekend, Chelsea slumped to ninth in the table following a disappointing defeat to Nottingham Forest. With only three games left, the west Londoners cannot finish higher than sixth, which, as it stands, will earn qualification to the Europa League.
Fortunately for Chelsea, though, the position could grant a spot in the Champions League. For that to happen, Aston Villa will need to win the Europa League and finish fifth in the Premier League.
Unai Emery’s side would be awarded a place in the Champions League for winning the tournament, so the European Performance Spot (EPS) – earned collectively by English clubs for ranking in the top two of the UEFA coefficient table – would be passed down to sixth place in the English top-flight.
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Although Chelsea can mathematically finish sixth, any hope of squeezing into Europe’s elite competition ultimately hinges on whether Aston Villa can beat Freiburg in the final at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 20.
In the meantime, the Blues will face Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, as well as Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Chelsea will then know whether qualification to the Champions League is still possible before the final day of the season.
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The west Londoners have a lot of work to do. As it stands, Chelsea are four points adrift of Bournemouth in sixth place, sandwiching Brentford and Brighton in seventh and eighth, respectively.
In 10th and 11th are Everton and Fulham, with only goal difference separating them from the Blues. Sunderland, in 12th, are only a point off the Toffees and the Cottagers, giving them an outside shot of qualifying for a UEFA club competition, too.
Speaking to reporters at Cobham training ground on Friday afternoon, Calum McFarlane commented on the race for European football. The interim Chelsea boss said: “We’ve got four games left.
“We need to attack every game and show our level like we have done at times this year, not recently, and put ourselves in the best position to achieve that.”
The Blues will lock horns with Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. On the Reds, McFarlane said: “They’re a really good side, a lot of good players, there’s a lot of threats that we have to be aware of.
“We also have a lot of good players and we’re just focussing on ourselves at the moment and making sure that our performance levels are at a higher level than what they have been.”
