Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans has identified Chelsea as the team they must surpass to secure Champions League qualification.

Despite a five-game winless streak, Unai Emery’s side is still within reach of a top-four finish, sitting just five points behind fourth place. Tielemans believes that closing the gap on Enzo Maresca’s team is crucial to Villa’s ambitions.

“Chelsea are right in front of us. We want to compete with them,” the Belgian midfielder stated.

Reflecting on Villa’s recent performance against Liverpool, Tielemans was encouraged by the team’s display and believes they can take that energy into their clash with Chelsea.

“Our performance against Liverpool was really good. We had a lot of chances towards the end.”

He acknowledged Chelsea’s strength but emphasised that Villa must measure themselves against the Blues if they hope to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.

“We were very good. We competed for every ball and Chelsea are a big opponent for us because we want to be where they are. We want to be close to them – in front of them – to get into the Champions League and realise our ambitions.”

With Villa looking to turn their season around, Tielemans remains optimistic about their chances, urging his teammates to push for wins in the final stretch of the campaign.

“We have to believe. We are still in the race. We have a lot of games left but we just need to win them.”

As Villa prepares for their crucial clash against Chelsea, the stakes are high, with both teams battling for European spots in a tightly contested Premier League race.