How Aston Villa's Europa League Run Could Hand Chelsea and Liverpool a Massive Boost

Tensions are rising across the Premier League, with the race for Champions League qualification just one of several compelling narratives as the season enters its final six matchdays.

Arsenal and Manchester City appear virtually certain to secure berths, and Michael Carrick's Manchester United seem to have done enough to join them. Behind that trio, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea are all scrapping for a seat at European football's top table.

Liverpool and Chelsea currently find themselves outside the top four and will be hoping for Villa to stumble domestically, yet both clubs should paradoxically be rooting for their rivals to go all the way in the Europa League.

Aston Villa's Europa League Run Is Good News for Chelsea, Liverpool

Unai Emery's side have been somewhat inconsistent in the league over recent months, yet their form on the European stage has remained rock solid.

The latest victims were Serie A's Bologna, dismantled 7–1 on aggregate in the Europa League quarterfinals, setting up a semifinal clash with fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest.

"When you come up against a team of that quality, you can only tip your hat and applaud," Bologna's Riccardo Orsolini conceded after Thursday's final whistle. "They'll definitely win the Europa League."

That prediction will be sweet music to the ears of both Chelsea and Liverpool supporters, whose own European aspirations may ultimately hinge on Villa's continued success in the competition.

At the heart of this situation is the Premier League's securing of a fifth Champions League place. Ordinarily only the top four earn entry into the elite competition, but owing to the strong performances of English clubs in Europe this term, fifth place now also carries a spot.

Liverpool currently occupy that fifth position, with Chelsea sitting four points adrift heading into the weekend's fixtures. The sixth-placed Blues face a steep climb to reach the Champions League, yet they could find themselves handed a place courtesy of Villa's European heroics.

Should Villa lift the Europa League trophy, they will secure Champions League football regardless of where they finish domestically. If they also claim fourth in the Premier League, the picture remains unchanged and England would still send five clubs to Europe. However, a fifth-place finish would alter the equation entirely.

Villa finishing fifth would see the additional European Performance Spot (EPS) awarded to the sixth-placed club. That is currently Chelsea, though Liverpool will be acutely aware that the situation could flip in their favor depending on results, including next month's head-to-head with the Blues.

If Aston Villa Finish Fifth and Win Europa League

Could Aston Villa Finish Fifth?

Villa currently hold a three-point advantage over Liverpool, leaving precious little room for error even before accounting for the direct encounter between the two clubs scheduled for the penultimate matchday on May 17.

Liverpool, despite the turbulence that has surrounded Anfield this campaign, possess a better goal difference. Should Arne Slot's men win all six of their remaining matches, they will secure at least fourth place. Even simply matching Villa's results, combined with a win over the Villans next month, would be sufficient to get the job done.

Villa are unlikely to slip as far as sixth, given they sit seven points clear of Chelsea, but a fall to fifth is entirely plausible in what has been an unpredictable season.

That outcome may actually represent the ideal scenario for Chelsea, who ironically have the capacity to undermine this very plan themselves. Liam Rosenior's men travel to Anfield on May 9, a week before Aston Villa face Liverpool, and a win for the Blues there would significantly boost Villa's prospects of finishing above both rivals.

Villa are considered frontrunners to claim the Europa League, needing to first see off Forest and then either Braga or Freiburg, so Chelsea and Liverpool supporters will be watching the Villans' every move in the Premier League over the final six weeks. The anxiety of Champions League qualification may ultimately be taken out of their hands entirely.