‘Disaster’ for Chelsea as Jamie Carragher makes Premier League top-five prediction | Football

Jamie Carragher has revealed his Premier League top-five prediction with a number of clubs battling to qualify for the Champions League.

The Premier League title race is all but sewn up with Carragher’s former club Liverpool surging 11 points clear of an Arsenal team who have repeatedly stuttered in the second-half of the season.

Despite dropping several points over the last few months, Arsenal look set for a third successive second-place finish under Mikel Arteta.

Nottingham Forest were beaten at home by Aston Villa at the weekend but remain in a superb position to qualify for the Champions League, sitting third with seven games remaining.

Chelsea currently occupy the final top-four spot but the English top-flight is almost guaranteed to be awarded five Champions League places next season, giving a host of clubs hope of qualifying for Europe’s top competition.

Newcastle United climbed to fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea and one above reigning champions Manchester City, easing past Leicester City on Monday night.

Although down in seventh, Aston Villa still have aspirations of getting in next season’s Champions League following their run to, at least, the quarter-finals of this year’s tournament.

The battle for Champions League football looks set to go right down to the wire but Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, tipped Chelsea and Aston Villa to miss out.

If Carragher is correct, Forest will hang on for a historic Champions League place along with in-form Newcastle United and the dominant team in recent years, Man City.

‘Looking at the fixtures and Newcastle having a game in hand, I think Nottingham Forest will just do it, I think Chelsea will miss out as they have the toughest fixtures,’ Carragher said.

‘Newcastle will make it and I think Man City will just make it as well. Those last four fixtures, you would expect Man City to win all four, even with the troubles they have had this season. I think Aston Villa will just miss out.’

Craig Bellamy, the former Premier League forward and current Wales manager, also predicted Chelsea would miss out.

‘Newcastle from what we have seen tonight and the momentum of just winning a first cup in numerous years, I have got a feeling with Newcastle,’ he said.

‘Man City are usually in the hunt for leagues so it is not uncommon for them to be in this pressure stage.

‘And Villa, I have got a funny feeling with Aston Villa and the Champions League you know.

‘I felt it in September, the manager’s experience at this level, they are organised and have powerful options. I felt of all the British teams, Aston Villa is the one to watch out for in this tournament.

‘Would we all like to see Forest? Who wouldn’t? I grew up in the 1980s with Brian Clough, they are a special club because of that man.

‘It would be a great story but my feeling is towards Newcastle, Man City and Aston Villa right now.’

Earlier in the season, ex-Liverpool and England defender Carragher said it would be a ‘disaster’ for Chelsea to once again fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Carragher even suggested missing out on Champions League qualification could force some Chelsea players, most notably England star Cole Palmer, away from Stamford Bridge.

‘Chelsea have spent over a billion quid,’ he said. ‘They’re out of the cup competitions, the European cup competition [UEFA Conference League] is not a European competition for Chelsea.

‘They can play the second string all the way to the final. They have to get Champions League. If they don’t get Champions League it’ll be a disaster, it will be.

‘The one worry I took from this game [a 3-0 defeat to Brighton] was not just how poor they were, it was the frustration on Cole Palmer.

‘He won’t wait around for this idea that in a couple of years we’re going to make the Champions League.

‘Imagine saying that to Cole Palmer, that it’s going to be a couple of years until we get in the Champions League.’

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