With the Premier League season entering its final stages, Chelsea need to be at their sharpest because their campaign still very much hangs in the balance.
Chelsea are one of the sides involved in a fascinating battle to finish in the top five of the Premier League, which will be enough to secure qualification for next year’s Champions League.
Earlier in April, Jamie Carragher predicted Chelsea wouldn’t finish in the top five because of the games they’ve still got left to play.
The optimistic Blues supporter may look at the situation and be pleased that it’s still very much in their hands, though.
For Chelsea, their final four league games look extremely tough. They play three of the top six teams in the division, plus 14th-placed Manchester United.
Glenn Hoddle doesn’t think Chelsea will qualify for the Champions League
Glenn Hoddle, the former Chelsea player and manager, has predicted that the Blues will just miss out on a place in the Premier League’s top five positions this season.
Hoddle told TNT Sports: “I think Chelsea have the hardest fixtures. Chelsea are the question mark for me. As much as I would like them to go into the Champions League, I think Chelsea might, just might, be the ones that [miss out].
“There’s two great big games – Newcastle away and Forest away, the last game of the season. Wow! Now, in some ways, they’re good games to have because, if they win, they take the points away from those two teams challenging. But their results have not been good away from home. At the Bridge, they’ve done well, but away from home, they’ve not been so good. So I think Chelsea might actually miss out.”
In fairness, Hoddle raises a valid point about Chelsea’s struggles away from home this season.
| Games played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points |
| 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 35 |
| Games played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points |
| 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 25 |
Chelsea picked up four points earlier in the season from their home matches against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, but repeating that feat in the reverse fixtures will be a tough ask.
Pat Nevin claims the return of Nicolas Jackson could be a significant factor in the club’s end-of-season push to get into the Champions League. In fairness, the Blues striker has scored three goals in his last two games across all competitions as he rediscovers some form.
Chelsea’s recent record in the Champions League
Without a doubt, the Champions League stage is where these Chelsea players need to be performing year on year. It’s what makes this final month of the Premier League so vital.
Here is a look at the Blues’ record in Europe’s elite club competition across the previous 10 seasons…
| Season | Round achieved |
| 2024/25 | Did not qualify |
| 2023/24 | Did not qualify |
| 2022/23 | Quarter-finals |
| 2021/22 | Quarter-finals |
| 2020/21 | Winners |
| 2019/20 | Round of 16 |
| 2018/19 | Did not qualify |
| 2017/18 | Round of 16 |
| 2016/17 | Did not qualify |
| 2015/16 | Round of 16 |
Enzo Maresca was tasked with qualifying for the Champions League during his debut season as the Chelsea coach. If he fails to do that, we suspect he’ll receive even more criticism from the fanbase.
