John McGinn: Aston Villa 'so close' to achieving Champions League dream

Villa host Chelsea on Saturday night knowing victory would take them nine points clear in fourth place and ramp up the pressure on Tottenham, their rivals in the race for the final Champions League spot.

Unai Emery’s team also face Olympiacos over two legs in the next fortnight for a place in the Europa Conference League final and McGinn believes they have already proved they have what it takes to succeed on two fronts.

But he is urging no let-up, as they first aim to take another step toward qualifying for Europe’s premier club competition.

McGinn said: “We’re so close. I’m telling the boys, 12 years I’ve been in professional football and have been watching the Champions League on the telly, now let’s be part of that.

“There are a lot of them who have not been involved in it and they won’t take it for granted.

“We’re close now but there is still a long way to go.”

Two more wins would see Villa reach 72 points, a total which has been good enough to secure a top-four finish in each of the last five seasons.

Yet McGinn is wary of Tottenham, who return to action for the first time in more than a fortnight at Arsenal on Sunday and will have three matches in hand.

“I looked at the points total about three months ago. I knew, on average, 72 points would get us close,” he said. “But you can never guarantee anything. Tottenham are well capable of winning every single game.

“We don’t really have a points target. In my mind I have a certain one, which I’m not going to share. But if we can get over 70 it will be very difficult for Tottenham – but we know they are very capable as well.”

Villa have maintained their challenge in the top four despite a seemingly never-ending run of injuries and a schedule which has already seen them play 50 matches, nine more than the whole of last season.

McGinn, however, believes keeping busy may have helped.

“I played a 60-plus game season with Hibs five or six years ago and it was actually good,” he explained. “It wasn’t easy but you get in a rhythm.

“This stage of the season can be difficult the other way when you have Saturday, Saturday and nothing to play for.

“That’s when the motivation drops sometimes. But we have everything to play for.

“We will hopefully get some players back soon. I don’t know about that, I’ve been too busy to notice but we have got the legs, we proved and we have the speed, power and hunger to keep going.”

Left-back Alex Moreno and attacker Nicolo Zaniolo remain out but Emery has no fresh injury concerns, for what is Villa’s penultimate Premier League home match of the season.