Opta has made a bold prediction about where Aston Villa will finish in their race for Champions League qualification.
Unai Emery’s side got their season back on track on the weekend as they oversaw a 2-1 victory against Fulham.
Villa had been on a inconsistent run of form since the turn of the year which temporarily saw them fall out of the top four. However, Saturday’s victory combined with Spurs’ defeat to Wolves saw them regain their spot in the promised land.
Now, with only 13 games left in the Premier League this season, the race is on if the club want Champions League football back at Villa Park.
Many pundits and influencers trying to predict what the table will look like come the end of the campaign. Opta is just one site, and they have made a bold prediction about Villa’s chances of a top-four finish.
Opta believes Aston Villa have a great chance of a Champions League finish
The race for the top four gets tighter by the day, with a trio of teams fighting for the final spot. At the time of writing, Villa are just two points clear of Spurs in fifth and five clear of Man United in sixth.
This could well present a difficult challenge for Emery’s side to keep the points gap. This is especially true when considering that Villa are the only team out of the three still in Europe.
However, Opta’s recent prediction may give some respite to fans. The organisation stated in a recent article that Villa has a 53.98% chance of finishing in the top four. This is well above their rivals with Spurs following it up with 34.25% before finally Man United with 10.58%.
On top of this, Opta ranks Villa’s chances of reaching the Champions League as even higher standing at 56.84%. However, their odds of a first Premier League title are extremely low at 0.17%.
Champions League in Aston Villa’s hands
It is safe to say that the ball is in Villa’s court on whether they qualify for the Champions League. The club are in a very good position to do so, especially if the Premier League gains an extra slot at the end of the season.
With Forest and Luton up next in the league, Emery needs to ensure his side takes maximum points for both ties.
Any slip-up could prove to be costly but Villa have shown multiple times this season that they are capable of stepping up.
A victory against Forest is very important as Villa Park has witnessed an unusual run of bad form lately. Therefore, ending this as soon as possible is ideal.
