Chelsea’s fate in the Premier League is now in their own hands. The task is simple – win three games, and we will qualify for the Champions League.
That’s no mean feat, in truth. After a trip to Old Trafford, we face two teams looking to cap their seasons off with a Europa League place. It won’t be easy, they’ll be well up for it.
Of course, there is the alternate avenue which we could head down. Winning the Europa League would ensure our participation in Europe’s top tier competition next term even if we were to miss out on top four.
Might it be beneficial for us to focus our efforts on the latter, though, rather than exhaust our squad attempting to achieve both?
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As shown by information provided by Football London, it may well be.
Their report notes that the winner of the Europa League automatically heads into pot one of the Champions League draw, which would give us a better chance of a favourable draw in the group stage.
There’s no such guarantee if we were to finish fourth. The teams are allocated places based on the UEFA coefficient rankings.
If we beat Frankfurt over two legs, followed by a win over either Arsenal or Valencia, we’re in pot one. That’s certainly something we ought to aim for, even at top four’s expense.
