The Premier League season will be done and dusted in less than a month and the race for the top four is poised on a knife edge. Manchester City may have run away with the title this season, with Manchester United’s Champions League spot also assured, but there is still so much to play for.
Leicester City and Chelsea currently look best placed to finish in the top four this season, although West Ham, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton cannot be ruled out. The Foxes’ final have a difficult run-in with three games against United, Chelsea and Spurs to finish the campaign. This could prove vital in UCL chase, while Chelsea will be hoping to avoid slip ups against Arsenal and Manchester City. Other key fixtures include Liverpool’s meeting with United on Sunday 2 May.
Will Leicester and Chelsea manage to hold onto the remaining top four places? Or will one of their challengers pull themselves together and steal them away? Online bettingsite 888Sport put Leicester’s odds of qualifying at 1.29/1 and Chelsea’s at 1.40/1 respectively. These odds reflect the fact that qualification is very likely, but not guaranteed.
Leicester City
After letting a significant lead slip in last season’s top four race, hopes were not high for Leicester heading into the season.
However, despite having to deal with a host of injury problems, Leicester is going into the final stretch of the season in pole position to qualify for the Champions League. Key to their success has been the resurgence of Kelechi Iheanacho. Previously considered surplus to requirements at the King Power Stadium, the Nigerian is now one of the in-form strikers in Europe, bagging eight goals in his last six games.
To finish the season the Foxes had three winnable games, followed by some tougher opponents. To retain their position in the top four getting off to a strong start is vital.
Remaining Fixtures & Prediction
Crystal Palace (H) – Win
Southampton (A) – Win
Newcastle (H) – Win
Manchester United (H) – Draw
Chelsea (A) – Loss
Tottenham (H) – Draw
Predicted Points: 70 (3rd)
Chelsea
Since replacing Frank Lampard with Thomas Tuchel in the managerial hot seat, Chelsea have looked transformed.
Saying that, the feel-good factor of progressing to both the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-final in the space of a week was soon extinguished by the Blues’ involvement in the botched Super League.
The move led to fan protests outside Stamford Bridge and securing a top four spot would be a good way to get their supporters back on side. Chelsea has a tricky end to the season with games against soon to be confirmed champions Manchester City, Arsenal and of course, Leicester.
The added distraction of the Champions League semi-finals will not help either, though they should have just enough in the tank to get over the line.
Remaining Fixtures & Prediction
Fulham (H) – Win
Manchester City (A) – Lose
Arsenal (A) – Win
Leicester (H) – Draw
Aston Villa (A) – Win
Predicted Points: 68 (4th)
West Ham
West Ham’s emergence as a top four contender has been one of the stories of the season. After narrowly avoiding relegation last time out, the Hammers have spent the majority of the current campaign at the top of the table.
For a brief moment, there was even talk that they would be handed the Premier League title if those Super League clubs were kicked out of the division. Those hopes have disappeared now, though.
Therefore, the injury hit Hammers will need a flawless end to the season to get over the line and break into the top four. With a full-strength squad, they might have done it. Their fitness concerns make it a tough ask.
Remaining Fixtures & Prediction
Burnley (A) – Draw
Everton (H) – Loss
Brighton (A) – Win
West Brom (A) – Win
Southampton (H) – Win
Predicted Points – 65 (6th)
Liverpool
Starting the season as title favorites, Liverpool’s horrific injury problems have hampered them severely this season.
As a result, they face an uphill task to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Back-to-back draws against Leeds and Newcastle both dealt damaging blows to the Reds’ chances and barring a miracle they are set to miss out on Europe’s premier cup competition.
Remaining Fixtures & Prediction
Manchester United (A) – Loss
Southampton (H) – Win
West Brom (A) – Win
Burnley (A) – Win
Crystal Palace (H) – Win
Predicted Points: 66 (5th)
Tottenham
Tottenham will be led by former player Ryan Mason for the rest of the season following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho.
After losing in the Carabao Cup final, the only chance that Mason has of salvaging something from Spurs’ campaign is a late surge into the European places. On paper their run-in does not look too bad, but they will be eager to pick up as many points as possible before their meeting with Leicester on the final day. Expect Harry Kane to finish the campaign strong as he looks to become the first Premier League player to top the goal and assists charts since Thierry Henry.
Remaining Fixtures & Prediction
Sheffield United (H) – Win
Leeds (A) – Loss
Wolves (H) – Win
Aston Villa (H) – Win
Leicester (A) – Draw
Predicted Points: 63 (7th)
Everton
Carlo Ancelotti arrived at Goodison Park with lofty promises of turning the Toffees into Champions League contenders. After a bright start they have fizzled out as the season has progressed and could now even miss out on the Europa League spots – despite hefty investment in the summer.
Remaining Fixtures & Prediction
Aston Villa (H) – Win
West Ham (A) – Win
Sheffield United (H) – Win
Wolves (H) – Draw
Manchester City (A) – Loss
Predicted Points: 62 (8th)