Chelsea's Win in the Champions League Dooms Them to 6th Place Finish in EPL

Chelsea fans are celebrating the 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica that has their side through to the Champions League semifinals. What they don't yet realize is that the success they are toasting is what dooms them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.

Here's the situation. Chelsea currently sit fifth with only goal differential keeping them ahead of Newcastle. They are five points behind both Arsenal and Tottenham for the final Champions League places.

Chelsea's win against Benfica means they add two matches against Barcelona into the midst of an already crowded fixture list.

Chelsea now face six matches in the 18 days between April 15th and May 2nd. The opponents during that stretch? Tottenham, Barcelona, Arsenal, Barcelona, QPR and Newcastle.

If you're Roberto Di Matteo, how do you rotate your squad for those matches? Can you sacrifice the FA Cup semifinal against Tottenham? Does that help at all?

Even assuming Chelsea field a weakened side in the FA Cup, four of the remaining five games demand a full-strength side. Even the match against QPR could prove tricky as Rangers look to fight off relegation at season's end.

Here's how I see this stretch of Chelsea's season playing out:

April 15th - FA Cup Semifinal Against Tottenham

Three days before kicking off the first of two matches against Barcelona, Chelsea will sacrifice the FA Cup to rest players.

Result: 3-1 Tottenham

April 18th - CL Semifinal Against Barcelona

Benfica passed Chelsea silly through 40 minutes on Wednesday. Even reduced to 10 men, the Portuguese side threatened throughout. Benfica can't hold a candle to the Catalans. Chelsea field their best, but it makes no difference.

Result: 2-0 Barcelona

April 21st - EPL Match Against Arsenal

Just three days after being dismantled by Barcelona, Chelsea will trot out the top guns again to stop Robin van Persie. Arsenal are determined to finish in third position and will be motivated to close the Blues out of the Champions League places.

Result: 2-1 Arsenal

April 24th - CL Semifinal Against Barcelona

Unable to accept that the tie is over, Chelsea's weary stars will give it a go in the second leg on Barcelona's pitch. It won't be pretty.

Result: 3-1 Barcelona

April 29th - EPL Match Against QPR

With many of Chelsea's older brigade unable to stand, Roberto Di Matteo will have to rotate his squad significantly against QPR. With Rangers desperate to avoid relegation, the strategy will be costly.

Result: 1-1 

May 2nd - EPL Match Against Newcastle

This game will decide whether Chelsea plays any European football at all next season. Having slipped behind the Toons over the previous two weeks, Chelsea will have to win to keep hope alive.

Their tired squad will face a Newcastle team that is completely fresh after only playing twice in the previous 22 days. The Blues have two games remaining, but this is where their season will effectively end. It will be ugly.

Result: 4-1 Newcastle

Arsenal will finish third, Tottenham fourth and Newcastle will edge Chelsea out for fifth. In the end, Roman Abramovich will pay for one more round of the 2012 Champions League with a complete absence from European competition in 2013.