Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill accepts that it is “tough but not impossible” for his side to finish in fourth place after their 2-2 home draw against Everton on Wednesday evening. They are 25/1 to realise this target.
The draw took Aston Villa to within seven points of Manchester City in fourth, having played the same number of games. This has led O’Neill to claim that his side will need to win all of their remaining five games if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Their campaign started well but a disastrous March, in which they only won one League game, saw the Midlands outfit slip down the table. Manchester City (4/9 to finish fourth) and Tottenham Hotspur (2/1 to finish fourth) are in fourth and fifth respectively and many see the battle for fourth being between these two sides. However, they have more difficult run-ins than Liverpool and Aston Villa so the door may still be open for the two outsiders if they can sort their consistency issues out.
Speaking after Wednesday’s game, O’Neill stated; “I thought before the game that we probably had to win the whole lot of the matches that were left to give us a proper chance (of the Champions League).
“It would have been a tall order and I would have thought that, certainly after this result, to give ourselves any chance we’ll have to win all five.
“It’s not impossible but it will be tough. You’d need a bit of luck here and there but we’ll go to Portsmouth on Sunday and we’ll give it everything.”
Villa face a tricky trip to Portsmouth this weekend and are 8/13 favourites to secure the win. The South Coast side are 4/1 whilst the draw is 11/4. Should they be able to navigate this clash – and their next two against Hull City and local rivals Birmingham – they could be going into the game against Manchester City on 1 May in a significantly stronger position.
Meanwhile in the race for fourth, Tottenham Hotspur kept the pressure on Manchester City by beating local rivals Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening. This severely dented the Gunners’ title hopes and moved Spurs to within one point and one place of fourth.
Both sides meet each other on May 5 at Eastlands in what could be a fourth place decider. However, there is plenty of football still to play before then and both sides face tricky fixtures this weekend.
O’Neill: It will be tough to finish fourth
The draw took Aston Villa to within seven points of Manchester City in fourth, having played the same number of games. This has led O’Neill to claim that his side will need to win all of their remaining five games if they are to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Their campaign started well but a disastrous March, in which they only won one League game, saw the Midlands outfit slip down the table. Manchester City (4/9 to finish fourth) and Tottenham Hotspur (2/1 to finish fourth) are in fourth and fifth respectively and many see the battle for fourth being between these two sides. However, they have more difficult run-ins than Liverpool and Aston Villa so the door may still be open for the two outsiders if they can sort their consistency issues out.
Speaking after Wednesday’s game, O’Neill stated; “I thought before the game that we probably had to win the whole lot of the matches that were left to give us a proper chance (of the Champions League).
“It would have been a tall order and I would have thought that, certainly after this result, to give ourselves any chance we’ll have to win all five.
“It’s not impossible but it will be tough. You’d need a bit of luck here and there but we’ll go to Portsmouth on Sunday and we’ll give it everything.”
Villa face a tricky trip to Portsmouth this weekend and are 8/13 favourites to secure the win. The South Coast side are 4/1 whilst the draw is 11/4. Should they be able to navigate this clash – and their next two against Hull City and local rivals Birmingham – they could be going into the game against Manchester City on 1 May in a significantly stronger position.
Meanwhile in the race for fourth, Tottenham Hotspur kept the pressure on Manchester City by beating local rivals Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening. This severely dented the Gunners’ title hopes and moved Spurs to within one point and one place of fourth.
Both sides meet each other on May 5 at Eastlands in what could be a fourth place decider. However, there is plenty of football still to play before then and both sides face tricky fixtures this weekend.
City are at home to local rivals and title chasing Manchester United and are 17/10 to pick up the three points. United are 11/8 to get the win they need to keep their title hopes alive whilst the draw is 12/5.
Spurs don’t have it any easier as they host league leaders Chelsea at White Hart Lane. Tottenham are 11/4 to keep their assault on fourth place on track whilst the Blues are 10/11 to move three points closer to the title. The draw is 12/5.
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