Aston Villa fixtures and Europa League final date could give Liverpool major advantage

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Liverpool is looking to confirm a place in the Champions League for next season, and Aston Villa's busy fixture schedule could help Arne Slot drag his team over the line.Liverpool and Aston Villa are battling it out in Champions League qualification(Image: (Photo by Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Offside via Getty Images))As the end of the season draws near, Champions League qualification isn't quite a formality for Liverpool and Arne Slot, despite the commanding position the club currently occupies in the Premier League table.The Reds sit fourth in the division, knowing that a top-five finish will be enough to secure a return to Europe's top competition, but there is still work to do.Both Liverpool and Aston Villa sits on 59 points each, while Bournemouth still has an outside chance of leapfrogging either team to sneak into the top five, as they are four points behind the two sides.With six points up for grabs, either of those teams in the top five could falter, which is only enhanced by the fact that they play each other in the penultimate match of the season.READ MORE: Liverpool has already been linked with 7 Mohamed Salah replacements including Bradley BarcolaREAD MORE: Liverpool's latest transfer target's dad already made Premier League claimIt puts Liverpool in a precarious position, considering the tough season that Slot has already endured, with the job far from over and the season far from complete.However, the fixture schedule and competitions elsewhere may have come to the rescue for the Merseyside outfit, handing a potential boost its way.Aston Villa face a tricky final few games, which include a clash with Liverpool, as Unai Emery's side must also take on title-challengers Manchester City.It means the Reds, who could seal a place with a win over Villa anyway, may also be able to rely on a route through by beating Brentford on the final day with some help elsewhere.That challenge for Villa is only compounded when the Europa League is thrown into the mix, with the club competing in the final between the two Premier League fixtures, with that match against Freiburg scheduled for May 20.Aston Villa is chasing after a Champions League qualification place(Image: (Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images))That final, and the opportunity to lift European silverware, could well be the priority for Emery and his side, which may give Liverpool an increased chance of sealing the top-five finish next weekend.If not, then the fact that so much effort will have to go into a three-game week, followed by a tough final fixture, could give those extra percentages to Slot in the race for top five.That is also completely dependent on Bournemouth most likely sealing two wins from the final two games, with Manchester City awaiting them, before a final-day clash with Nottingham Forest.Brighton is the final team with an outside chance, with a six-point gap to Liverpool and Aston Villa, but a good goal difference behind them, but both teams only need one point, or for the Seagulls to drop a point, to rule it out of contention.Fabian Hurzeler's side have the tough task of competing away at Leeds United and at home to Manchester United, but there is a small chance things could go in its favour.With all of those things stacked in Liverpool's favour, Opta Analyst rated the team's chances of Champions League qualification at 96.98 percent.A drop from here would be a monumental failure, and would likely have huge consequences as a result.