The Belgian midfielder believes overtaking Enzo Maresca’s side would guarantee Villa’s return to Europe’s elite competition.
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Despite a five-game winless streak, Unai Emery’s men remain just five points off fourth place.
Tielemans stated: “Chelsea are right in front of us. We want to compete with them.
“Our performance against Liverpool was really good. We had a lot of chances towards the end.
“We were very good. We competed for every ball and Chelsea are a big opponent for us because we want to be where they are. We want to be close to them - in front of them - to get into the Champions League and realise our ambitions.
“We have to believe. We are still in the race. We have a lot of games left but we just need to win them.”