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Former top-flight defender Mark Lawrenson has backed Chelsea to overcome Aston Villa when the two sides square off in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Blues are currently third in the Premier League table and need to match Leicester City’s result on the final day of the season to ensure they qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea arguably have the toughest fixture of the three teams vying for Champions League football as they travel to Villa Park. Liverpool, who are fourth, host Crystal Palace, while fifth-placed Leicester City welcome Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea's trip to Villa Park could be tricky with fans set to return to the stadium for the first time in a long while. Although Villa have nothing to play for, they were impressive against Tottenham in their last game, and will look to end the season on a high in front of their fans.
Lawrenson backs Chelsea to beat Aston Villa and qualify for the Champions League
Chelsea produced a gritty display against Leicester City in their last league game, putting their FA Cup final loss behind them. The Blues will now look to overcome Aston Villa and hope they don’t pick up any injuries ahead of next Sunday's Champions League final against Manchester City.
Lawrenson believes Aston Villa will be lively against Chelsea, but the Blues should be able to get the job done.
“Chelsea have got the Champions League final next week but they need a win here to make sure of a top-four finish. I think they will get it," Lawrenson wrote in his column for the BBC.
“Villa have been up and down results-wise recently but they were impressive in their victory at Tottenham in midweek, and they got a good win at Everton at the start of the month too. Dean Smith's side have improved a lot on last season, that's for sure.
“They will be lively again, especially with Jack Grealish getting more and more minutes under his belt, but I thought Chelsea won comfortably against Leicester on Tuesday and I'd expect them to get the job done here too."
Even if Chelsea fail to win, they will finish in the top four as long as Leicester City don’t defeat Tottenham Hotspur.
