Aston Villa enter critical 10-day stretch in Champions League chase
Villa might still be fighting on three fronts this season but for the next 10 days their sole focus is the Premier League.
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This critical stretch, starting with Saturday’s visit of relegation-threatened Ipswich, will see Unai Emery’s team play more than a quarter of their remaining league matches and could go some way to determining whether they will be playing Champions League football again next term.
After playing just once in the past fortnight, Villa’s break from their typical twice-a-week schedule has been brief. Saturday’s clash with Ipswich is followed by a further two home fixtures, against leaders Liverpool on Wednesday and then fellow Champions League contenders Chelsea the following weekend, before a trip to Crystal Palace on February 25.
This might be the moment Villa, currently eighth in the table but just four points adrift of the fifth-placed finish which would likely be enough to secure a return to Europe’s elite club competition next term, put themselves firmly back in the race. On the flip side, it might be the run which leaves them with too great a deficit to overturn down the stretch.
