As I write this, Chelsea is in 6th place in the Premier League out of 20 spots. The end of the season is (sadly nearing) and these last 5 matches will be crucial for us. Many people believe that it is dire that the Blues qualify for the Champions League, and coming in 5th or 6th will obstruct us from access to top players, a big cash bonus, and media attention. What your take is on this notion depends on your optimism and beliefs, but I think we can reach a consensus that Champions League play will bring nothing but good to Chelsea. With a highly inflated fixture list, and a couple of fierce opponents left to play, do Chelsea have what it take to be among Europe's best next year? In the next paragraphs we'll take a closer look at Chelsea's odds of getting to the coveted 4th place spot.

First things first, let's take a quick look at the Premier League table:

I'm sure you noticed that a lot of teams have been cut off of this here table. That's because, for this post, we don't care about them. And really, we don't care about Man U or City. Essentially, this is a four team race for 2 spots. Manchester United are going to finish in first as far as I'm concerned, and Man City will stay at 2nd unless something drastic happens. Also, Everton and Liverpool are too far behind to be looking for a CL spot in my opinion, which leaves 4 teams, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Chelsea.

Arsenal have recovered from a mid season slump, and are looking very on form. Newcastle, too are running into a bit of good form with wonder signing Cissé. Chelsea are coming off a tie against Fulham, and a tight (and lucky) win against whipping boys Wigan. Tottenham look to be in the most woeful form of the 4 contenders, with a loss against Norwich, and a 0-0 draw at Sunderland.

Another major factor in the race will be the schedule. Here's a nice little chart showing you what kind of teams each of the contenders will be facing off against:

Now we'll look at the 3 highest ranked opponents the contenders will be facing and their place on the table.

Tottenham's hardest fixtures; Fulham(9), Norwich(10), Aston VIlla(15)

Arsenal's hardest fixtures; Chelsea(6), Fulham(10), Stoke(11)

Chelsea's hardest fixtures; Arsenal(3), Newcastle(5), Liverpool(8)

Newcastle's hardest fixtures; Manchester City(2), Chelsea(6), Everton(7)

Clearly, Newcastle have the toughest fixtures coming up, with Chelsea at a close second. Arsenal have a decent schedule up ahead, and Tottenham have by far the easiest route. The matches against Arsenal and Newcastle will be 6 pointers for sure, and hopefully Chelsea can capitalize.

Overall, the odds are certainly not in Chelsea's favor, and outside competitions will certainly take a toll. In my opinion, Chelsea will be very lucky to get a CL spot for next year, and Europa League is what we seem destined to be getting.

Here's the way I see things ending:

Tottenham

Arsenal

Chelsea

Newcastle

Hopefully I'll be proven wrong, and Chelsea will get qualification, an FA cup, and be CL finalists, but I just can't see things going our way this year. This was written in just a few hours so let me know if there's any problems with it or if there's any other details you need, but I think this may have helped you see a bigger picture on the race to 4th.