~snip~
Though Aston Villa look strong and formidable now, would the able be to sustain their present form till the end of the season so as to clinch a UCL spot? I don't think so, I am tipping Tottenham to qualify for the last spot, Arsenal though not a sure title contenders yet has the capability to clinch a top 4 spot, meanwhile the title race is between Liverpool and Man City for now though the overall distance in term of points between those top 5 is very close and narrow as you rightly said, however the more formidable team has the quality in terms of players and the depth to remain consistent in term of performance till the end of the league unlike Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham.
I not sure that Aston Villa will be able to maintain their position until the end of the season and be able to get tickets for the UCL.
What is clear is that Tottenham, who at the start of the season performed quite well and experienced setbacks, but now they are starting to slowly show stability in performance.
Tottenham will be a big threat for Aston Villa to maintain their place, it will be like Arsenal relegating them from third position and Tottenham will definitely do the same.
Aston Villa is pretty tough team but they will still be overtaken by Tottenham so Aston Villa opportunity for next season is not the UCL competition but the Europa League, moreover, if Aston Villa can be in the UCL competition I not sure they can last long.
Aston Villa does not have the ability to compete fiercely against other big teams such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan or Manchester City when in the UCL competition.
Just being able to play in the Europa League and showing playing stability is already quite good achievement for Aston Villa and I sure they won't be ready for next season if they have to compete in the UCL.