Chelsea have three games left in the Premier League season to get themselves over the line to qualify for the Champions League.
The top five positions in the Premier League will secure qualification for next season’s Champions League, and there are still a bunch of teams in the mix, including Chelsea.
At the moment, Enzo Maresca’s side occupy fifth spot because of a three-game winning streak in the league.
The Blues wrap up the 2024/25 league season with three difficult fixtures on paper, but the entire campaign rests on what happens in the next couple of weeks.
First, it’s a tricky trip to St James’ Park on Sunday lunchtime to face top-five rivals Newcastle United. Magpies boss Eddie Howe has praised Chelsea in his pre-match interview for their recent performances.
Kyle Walker predicts Chelsea will miss out on Champions League qualification
AC Milan defender Kyle Walker, who won six Premier League titles at Manchester City, has just made a crushing prediction on Chelsea.
Walker has tipped the Blues to narrowly miss out on qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
When discussing the top-five race, he said on The Kyle Walker Podcast: “I still think it’s a flip of a coin for all of them. I think Forest, my personal opinion, no. I think they’ve just fallen off it… I think Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, and then I think the next [two] are up for grabs… If I were to say now, I’d probably go Newcastle, Villa.”
If Chelsea go a third straight season without Champions League football at Stamford Bridge, it would feel extremely damaging.
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca was tasked with securing Champions League qualification during his first season at the club.
It’s an extra boost that the top five will secure a route into next season’s European competition. However, there’s so little to split the rival teams in the Premier League.
From Chelsea’s perspective, they may need to do it the hard way by grinding out results away from home against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. Therefore, it’s worrying to look at their away form this season.
| Matches played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals scored | Goals against | Points |
| 17 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 23 | 25 |
Chelsea’s results against their upcoming opponents
In the final few fixtures, the Blues play Newcastle (4th), Nottingham Forest (6th) and Manchester United (15th).
Let’s take a look at how Chelsea performed in the reverse fixtures against them:
- Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest (6 October)
- Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle United (27 October)
- Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea (3 November)
If Maresca’s side can repeat a return of five points, it could be very close in the race for Champions League qualification. We’re guessing that the Blues are going to need at least two wins from the final three matches.
