Chelsea Fans Have a Huge Reason to Root for Aston Villa in the Europa League Final

Chelsea are rapidly running out of opportunities to rescue something meaningful from a dismal season, but Aston Villa may be about to hand the Blues one final lifeline.

Following their defeat to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal, Unai Emery's men made easy work of the second leg, romping to a 4–0 victory and securing a place in this month's final against Bundesliga outfit Freiburg.

Depending on how events unfold over the coming weeks, that could prove to be a hugely significant match for Chelsea—one that may ultimately come to define their entire campaign.

How Aston Villa Could Still Save Chelsea

Chelsea's run of just one win in 10 Premier League outings effectively ended any hopes they had of securing Champions League football through the league.

It seems as though every result has conspired against Chelsea in 2026, yet one club has quietly been doing them a favour. Aston Villa sat as high as third as recently as February, but their own poor run of just five league wins so far this calendar year—including gifting Chelsea their only league victory in the past three months—has seen them slide down to fifth.

This season, fifth place will be sufficient for Champions League qualification, thanks to English clubs' strong European performances lifting the Premier League to the top of UEFA's coefficient rankings—but everything could shift if that spot falls to Aston Villa.

Should Emery's side go on to win the Europa League—with only Freiburg standing in their way—they will secure their own Champions League berth as a result. The fifth-place slot awarded to English clubs via the coefficient would then be passed down to whichever side finishes sixth in the Premier League.

Reaching fifth is mathematically out of the question for Chelsea, who trail Villa by 10 points with just three matches remaining. Sixth, however, is still very much attainable.

Bournemouth enter the final three fixtures with the most to play for, but a fierce battle for sixth place looks inevitable. The Cherries hold a one-point advantage over Brentford, who are themselves just a point clear of Brighton & Hove Albion. Only four points separate Bournemouth in sixth and Fulham down in 11th.

Chelsea sit at the foot of that chasing group, the full four points adrift and clinging to the top half of the table solely on goal difference. There is still considerable ground to make up, but four points from three remaining games is far from unthinkable.

If Chelsea can rediscover some form over the next few weeks and take advantage of a few stumbles from the sides around them, a return to the Champions League could suddenly become a realistic prospect—provided Aston Villa hold up their end of the deal.

The Europa League final is scheduled for May 20, four days before the Premier League's concluding round of fixtures.

How Chelsea's Remaining Fixtures Compare to Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton