The race for Champions League qualification is heating up with five spots, all but confirmed, up for grabs. One team out of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea will miss out through the Premier League.
However, if Villa win the Europa League and finishes in the top five, then sixth place can qualify for Europe’s elite competition.
The current state of play is: Manchester United in third on 55 points, Villa in fourth on 54 points, Liverpool in fifth on 49 points and finally Chelsea in sixth on 48 points. Seven points separate them all.
What hasn’t been the best season in terms of quality, each one of those teams has had some phases of good patches and some quite dire.
With Liverpool, Chelsea and Man United dropping points last weekend, Villa will be feeling confident going into the final stretch as key players have returned and their form has started to pick up.
Here are each team’s fixtures from now until the end of the season:
Aston Villa
Coming off the back of a 2-0 win over West Ham in their previous Premier League match, Unai Emery’s side, on paper, has the easier set of fixtures remaining. Although they also have the Europa League to focus on, having competed in a European competition for the last three seasons, it is something they are now used to.
- Bologna (A) – Europa League, Thursday 9th April, 20:00 UK time
- Nottingham Forest (A) – Premier League, Sunday 12th April, 14:00 UK time
- Bologna (H) – Europa League, Thursday 16th April, 20:00 UK time
- Sunderland (H) – Premier League, Sunday 19th April, 14:00 UK time
- Fulham (A) – Premier League, Saturday 25th April, 12:30 UK time
- Tottenham (H) – Premier League, Saturday 2nd May, 12:30 UK time (date will change if Villa progress to the Europa League semi-finals)
- Burnley (A) – Premier League, Saturday 9th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Liverpool (H) – Premier League, Sunday 17th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Manchester City (A) – Premier League, Sunday 24th May, 16:00 UK time
| Opponent | Reverse Fixtures | Date |
| Nottingham Forest | Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest | 3rd January |
| Sunderland | Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa | 21st September |
| Fulham | Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham | 28th September |
| Tottenham | Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa | 19th October |
| Burnley | Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley | 5th October |
| Liverpool | Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa | 1st November |
| Manchester City | Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City | 26th October |
Manchester United
Man United are certainly in a favoured position. With no European football, their full attention will be on the league. Michael Carrick has turned their form around, winning seven of his first ten games in charge. The mood around Old Trafford has been lifted, and they will be hoping for return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2023/24 season.
- Leeds (H) – Premier League, Monday 13th April, 20:00 UK time
- Chelsea (A) – Premier League, Saturday 18th April, 20:00 UK time
- Brentford (H) – Premier League, Monday 27th April, 20:00 UK time
- Liverpool (H) – Premier League, Sunday 3rd May, 15:30 UK time
- Sunderland (A) – Premier League, Saturday 9th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League, Sunday 17th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Brighton (A) – Premier League, Sunday 24th May, 16:00 UK time
Liverpool
Arne Slot’s side has had a very inconsistent season so far. They have struggled to maintain form in the league, and injuries have regularly featured in their forward line. Whilst they progressed through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, their next opponents PSG, will provide them with a very tough test.
Liverpool’s remaining fixtures include blockbuster battles with Man United and Chelsea, with the result of those matches potentially deciding who finishes in the top five.
- PSG (A) – Champions League, Wednesday 8th April, 20:00 UK time
- Fulham (H) – Premier League, Saturday 11th April, 17:30 UK time
- PSG (H) – Champions League, Tuesday 14th April, 20:00 UK time
- Everton (A) – Premier League, Sunday 19th April, 14:00 UK time
- Crystal Palace (H) – Premier League, Saturday 25th April, 15:00 UK time
- Manchester United (A) – Premier League, Sunday 3rd May, 15:30 UK time
- Chelsea (H) – Premier League, Saturday 9th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Aston Villa (A) – Premier League, Sunday 17th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Brentford (H) – Premier League, Sunday 24th May, 16:00 UK time
Chelsea
Key injuries to Reece James and Trevor Chalobah could play a massive role in deciding Chelsea’s Champions League qualification fate. After being hammered by Everton in their previous game, Liam Rosenior’s side are now winless in their last four matches.
The Blues’ remaining fixtures are the toughest, with their next two league contests putting them at risk of potentially dropping even further behind the pack.
- Port Vale (H) – FA Cup, Saturday 4th April, 17:15 UK time
- Manchester City (H) – Premier League, Sunday 12th April, 16:30 UK time
- Manchester United (H) – Premier League, Saturday 18th April, 20:00 UK time
- Brighton (A) – Premier League, Sunday 26th April, 16:30 UK time
- Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League, Monday 4th May, 15:00 UK time
- Liverpool (A) – Premier League, Saturday 9th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Tottenham (H) – Premier League, Sunday 17th May, 15:00 UK time (subject to change)
- Sunderland (A) – Premier League, Sunday 24th May, 16:00 UK time
Who will come out on top?
There are some key ties still to be played, with each team in the hunt facing at least one of the other three in the final seven league matches. It may be tight, or one could fall away; however, it is bound to be an exciting watch in what is a crucial end to the season for these clubs.
