ANDRE Villas-Boas admits the prospect of dropping out of the Champions League would be an unthinkable outcome for a club like Chelsea.

The Blues must beat Valencia in their final group game tomorrow night to be sure of qualification to the knock out stages.

Should they fail to do so, it is likely they will be eliminated from this season's Champions League.

Asked if that was an outcome he had contemplated, the Chelsea boss said: “Yes, of course. It is within the possibilities, but to be fair it is within the possibilities for most of the English clubs.

“So that is the reality that we face. We have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully all of the (English) teams will make their way through, because it will mean the Premier League is a good standard and can compete in Europe.”

Dropping out of the Champions League would mean Chelsea, who are guaranteed at least third place in their group, going into the Europa League.

Villas-Boas knows a thing or two about that competition, having won it last year with FC Porto. So could it present a winnable challenge for Chelsea at this stage?

Villas-Boas is dismissive of the idea: “Yes (I know the Europa League), but we are not thinking about that. We are focusing hard on being in the Champions League – that is what represents the dimension of the club.”

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest Chelsea news.