Chelsea vs Bournemouth: What Chelsea needs to do to overtake Tottenham & confirm Europa League spot

Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino have made a remarkable turnaround of their Premier League season in the past couple of months as from the jaws of finishing in the bottom half of the table, the Stamford Bridge outfit are now ever closer to clinching the Europa League berth. 

Chelsea's recent 2-1 victory over Bournemouth and Newcastle's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United meant that Mauricio Pochettino's side have jumped back into the sixth spot in the Premier League standings and Europa League qualification for 2024-25 season is well in their sights. 

However, unlike the past seasons a sixth placed finish for Chelsea might still not be enough to guarantee a Europa League spot as if Manchester United win the FA Cup, they will pip Chelsea for the competition next season and Chelsea will have to settle for Conference League. 

That means to guarantee qualification into the Europa League next season, Chelsea will need to finish 5th in the Premier League standings and overtake city rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

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What Chelsea needs to do to overtake Tottenham and Confirm Europa League 

Heading into the final matchday of the season, Chelsea are currently sixth at the table with 60 points, and Tottenham are fifth with 63 points. However, Chelsea have a better goal difference than Tottenham this season. 

Hence, the route for Chelsea to overtake is pretty simple, first they need to win their game against Bournemouth and hope that Tottenham lose their final game against Sheffield United. 

If Chelsea do win and Tottenham lose then the Blues will finish in 5th due to superior goal difference and guarantee Europa League football for next season. But if Tottenham either win or draw their final game then Chelsea will finish 6th. 

Despite, finishing 6th Chelsea can still make Europa League but for that they would want Manchester United to lose their FA Cup final against Manchester City.

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Chelsea can still miss out on Europe

Despite their favourable position, there is still a possibility that Chelsea can miss out on Europe altogether.  Newcastle United in 7th place are only behind Chelsea by three points but have a far superior goal difference than Chelsea. 

If Chelsea were to lose to Bournemouth and Newcastle win their final game then Chelsea will drop to 7th spot and the Europa Conference League Place. But if Manchester United win the FA Cup then that would mean, Newcastle dropping to the Conference League and Chelsea missing out on Europe completely. 

Hence, on Sunday evening there is no room for letups as the clash against Bournemouth is a must win for the Blues.