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John Carew calls for Aston Villa to seize Champions League spot ahead of Manchester City clash
Fight for fourth intensifies at Eastlands...
1 May 2010 08:24:00
By Niall McGlone
Aston Villa targetman John Carew has called on his teammates to capture the final Champions League place by beating fellow fourth place candidates Manchester City.
Villa have lost just once in 2010 and their recent upturn in form has put them firmly in the hunt for a spot in Europe's premium club competition next season.
Martin O’Neill’s side will have to win at Eastlands though to have any chance of pipping the Citizens, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to the much-coveted berth.
“We said that if we won the last five games then we’d have a chance, now we’ve won three of them and you can see what has happened,” Carew told the Birmingham Mail.
“Nine points has changed the situation completely and we have a shot now.
“Of course, it’s not only depending on what we do, we need some luck on our side, but if we win the last five games then we’d have a real chance and would have done all we can do.
"We’d have 70 points which is still a fantastic season.
Villa currently sit fifth in the Premier League, level points with Spurs and just one point ahead of Saturday's opponents City, who have a game in hand.
Carew has previous Champions League experience, being part of the Valencia team that lost to Bayern Munich in the 2001 final.
The Norwegian international believes the fight for fourth has been great for the club and the division as a whole.
“It’s exciting for the Champions League place, but also in general with which team is going to win the league,” he added.
“It hasn’t been this exciting for a long time, for us it’s amazing and for people who follow English football it’s exciting.
“The players don’t talk too much about it because I don’t think that is too smart. We know it’s there, it’s in the back of our heads.”
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Villa have lost just once in 2010 and their recent upturn in form has put them firmly in the hunt for a spot in Europe's premium club competition next season.
Martin O’Neill’s side will have to win at Eastlands though to have any chance of pipping the Citizens, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to the much-coveted berth.
“We said that if we won the last five games then we’d have a chance, now we’ve won three of them and you can see what has happened,” Carew told the Birmingham Mail.
“Nine points has changed the situation completely and we have a shot now.
“Of course, it’s not only depending on what we do, we need some luck on our side, but if we win the last five games then we’d have a real chance and would have done all we can do.
"We’d have 70 points which is still a fantastic season.
Villa currently sit fifth in the Premier League, level points with Spurs and just one point ahead of Saturday's opponents City, who have a game in hand.
Carew has previous Champions League experience, being part of the Valencia team that lost to Bayern Munich in the 2001 final.
The Norwegian international believes the fight for fourth has been great for the club and the division as a whole.
“It’s exciting for the Champions League place, but also in general with which team is going to win the league,” he added.
“It hasn’t been this exciting for a long time, for us it’s amazing and for people who follow English football it’s exciting.
“The players don’t talk too much about it because I don’t think that is too smart. We know it’s there, it’s in the back of our heads.”
Become a fan of Goal.com UK's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
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