Why Chelsea Fans Should Be Cheering for Aston Villa in Europa League Final

A miserable season could yet have a satisfactory conclusion.

A possible boost for Chelsea. | Michael Regan/The FA/Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

Chelsea are running out of time to salvage anything from this nightmare season, but Aston Villa may be about to offer the Blues one last chance for some form of salvation.

After defeat to Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal, Unai Emery’s side made light work of the return fixture, cruising to a 4–0 win and booking a spot in this month’s final against Bundesliga team Freiburg.

Depending on how the next few weeks go, that could be an enormous game for Chelsea and one that could ultimately define the season.

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How Aston Villa Could Still Save Chelsea

Chelsea beat Aston Villa earlier this year. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Chelsea’s run of one win in 10 Premier League matches did an efficient job of ensuring their Champions League aspirations were ripped away from them.

It feels like every result has gone against Chelsea in 2026, but the reality is one team has been quietly doing their best to help. Aston Villa were third as recently as February but their own run of just five league victories so far this calendar year, including handing out Chelsea’s only league victory in the last three months, has seen them tumble to fifth.

This season, fifth will be enough to qualify for the Champions League thanks to the strong performance of English teams in Europe seeing the Premier League top UEFA’s coefficient rankings, but everything could change if that spot goes to Aston Villa.

If Emery’s side win the Europa League—only Freiburg stand between them and the trophy—they will earn their own spot in the Champions League as a reward. That fifth spot given to English teams for the coefficient score would then be handed to the team that finishes sixth in the Premier League.

Getting up to fifth is numerically impossible for Chelsea, who sit 10 points behind Villa with three games left to play. Sixth, however, remains in play.

Bournemouth head into the final three games of the season with their fingers crossed hardest, but there is set to be an almighty scramble for sixth place. The Cherries are one point ahead of Brentford, themselves only one point above Brighton & Hove Albion. Just four points separates Bournemouth in sixth and Fulham in 11th.

Chelsea are at the bottom of that chasing pack, the full four points behind and in the top half of the table only due to their positive goal difference. There is still plenty of work to do, but four points from nine games is by no means impossible.

If Chelsea can figure themselves out for the next few weeks and capitalize on a handful of slip-ups from the teams around them, a spot back in the Champions League could quickly come back into reach—assuming Aston Villa live up to their end of the bargain.

The Europa League final is slated for May 20, four days before the final round of Premier League fixtures.

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

Chelsea	Bournemouth	Brentford	Brighton
Liverpool (A) - May 9	Fulham (A) - May 9	Man City (A) - May 9	Wolves (H) - May 9
Tottenham (H) - May 19	Man City (H) - May 19	Crystal Palace (H) - May 17	Leeds (A) - May 17
Sunderland (A) - May 24	Nott’m Forest (A) - May 24	Liverpool (A) - May 24	Man Utd (H) - May 24

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