We are now into the last three games of the Premier League season and the title-race and the relegation battle is still at its peak. This weekend brings about some decisive encounters that could decide the outcome of the title-race as well as top-flight survival.
Let’s take a look at all the preview and predictions from Gameweek 36 –
Liverpool needs a win and a draw from their last three games to confirm Champions League qualification while Chelsea is currently sitting in ninth place with little hope of European football.
Chelsea has the worst run of form in the last month or so having lost six consecutive games. There is no identity to their play and the players lack motivation. As for Liverpool, they haven’t had a great season but they are still in with a chance for Champions League spots and were on a three-game winning streak which was broken by a close defeat at Old Trafford last weekend.
Injuries have troubled both teams throughout the season but the Reds have been unlucky with key players out for these last few months. Alisson Becker, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Geovanni Leoni and Stefan Baj?eti? are all out for this fixture. Chelsea has most of their players back in the squad with only Estêvão and Jamie Gittens on the sidelines.
On the back of six straight defeats, the Blues will be going away to Anfield with the Reds looking to wrap up their Champions League spot will be quite challenging. However, the two teams have always competed well and this game would be similar. Liverpool would like to dominate the proceedings early and try to score but Chelsea do have quality in their midfield and frontline and even in poor form, they have the players to hurt Liverpool. Having said that, we believe Liverpool will bag the three points in a tight and cagey encounter.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
The Seagulls have been in top form for the past few months and even though they suffered an away defeat to the Magpies last weekend, they have bagged some big results against Liverpool and Chelsea in their last two home games.
Wolves on the other hand have already been relegated but they snatched a point against Sunderland last weekend. This was their first point after three straight losses.
Brighton is still in with a chance for Europa League football next season but they need to win their games. Wolves would already be thinking about coming back to the top flight after next season. Brighton was unbeaten with three wins and a draw in their last four until last weekend’s defeat to Newcastle while Wolves have two draws and three defeats from their last five encounters.
Injury-wise, Brighton has a fair few out with Adam Webster, Matts Weiffer, Diego Gomez, James Milner, Solly March and Stefanos Tzimas out on the sidelines while Wolves will be without Sam Johnstone, Ladislav Krej?í and Enso González.
Brighton has a dangerous and in-form front line with Danny Welbeck scoring goals for fun. With Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh on the wings, Wolves defenders could have a torrid time dealing with their skills and pace. Wolves too have a few aces up their sleeve with Mateus Mane and Joao Gomes who can trouble a vulnerable Brighton defence. However, we believe this would be a straightforward win for the South Coast side as they are just too strong for the Old Gold.
Score Prediction: Brighton 2-0 Wolves
After a decent run of games, Fulham suffered a huge defeat away to Arsenal last weekend while the Cherries have been in sensational form, undefeated in their last 15 games and are currently sitting in sixth place with a shot at European places.
While Fulham lost away to the league leaders, Bournemouth crushed Crystal Palace at home. Barring the defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal away, Fulham has two wins and a draw from their last five while Bournemouth has three wins and two draws from their last five which also includes a massive win against Arsenal at the Emirates.
From a personnel availability perspective, Fulham could be without Sander Berge, Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Kevin while Bournemouth will miss Matai Akinmboni, Julio Soler, Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook for this game.
Andoni Iraola has done a fabulous job with Bournemouth even after losing most of his backline last summer. If they do manage to get into European places, it would indeed be a fabulous achievement for the Spaniard. As for Fulham, they have disappointed this season, having been really inconsistent. However, they did beat Aston Villa at home before the Arsenal game so it’s not going to be easy for the visitors. Having said that, we do believe this would be an end-to-end entertaining affair that may end in a draw.
Score Prediction: Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth
Manchester United did the double over fierce rivals Liverpool for the first time in a decade when they beat them at Anfield earlier this season and then at home last weekend. After the crushing defeat against Nottingham Forest prior to last weekend, Sunderland could only manage a draw against relegated Wolves.
Man United are going into this game on the back of three straight wins after a draw and a defeat while the Black Cats have two wins, two defeats and a draw in their last five fixtures. After a great start to the season, Sunderland have fizzled out but their prime motive would be Premier League survival which they have almost achieved.
From an injury viewpoint, Sunderland will miss Simon Moore, Bertrand Traoré, Nilson Angulo and Romaine Mundle with Daniel Ballard out suspended. Man United will have an almost fully fit squad to choose from barring Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
Sunderland deploys a solid defensive structure that did come undone against Forest but apart from that they haven’t really conceded a lot of goals in their home games. United did beat them in the reverse fixture but it was a narrow win and playing at the Stadium of Light hasn’t been easy for opposition teams. However, the visitors have been playing well in attack with their striker Benjamin Sesko in fine form along with wingers Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. United do need to watch out for complacency as the Wearside team are excellent on counters. We believe this would be a tight game, decided by a goal or two with the visitors coming away with the three points.
Score Prediction: Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United
The Cityzens failed to tighten their grip on the league title when they dropped points away against Everton. However, they did avoid defeat, coming back from 3-1 deficit to draw the game with Jérémy Doku turning saviour with a brilliant brace.
Their opponents Brentford had a great result at the weekend, hammering relegation-threatened West Ham. In their last five encounters, the Bees have lost only one game, won one and drawn three. City has three wins and two draws from their last five.
Injury-wise, Man City will be without Rúben Dias, Rodri and Joško Gvardiol while Brentford will have Vitaly Janelt, Rico Henry, Jordan Henderson and Fabio Carvalho out unavailable.
Man City cannot afford further slip ups and with Arsenal playing after them this weekend, they need to close the gap with a win. Looking at Brentford’s away record, a win at the Etihad seems improbable but Man City will be under pressure as well and their defence is vulnerable as we saw in the game against Everton. Igor Thiago could be a real danger for the Man City defence with Brentford being brilliant on set pieces, something Pep Guardiola will have to plan against. As for Man City, if Doku, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland are at the top of their game, Brentford would be in for a nightmarish encounter. The hosts are the overwhelming favourites despite the draw against the Toffees and should bag the three points comfortably.
Score Prediction: Man City 3-1 Brentford
The league leaders go into this game with great joy as Arsenal defeated Atlético de Madrid midweek to reach the Champions League final after two decades. The Gunners now have an opportunity to win the double as they are also leading in the title-race and with City dropping points last weekend, it’s in their hands now.
As for the Hammers, they are desperate for a win as they are currently sitting in 18th place with the dark clouds of relegation looming over their heads. Before the defeat to Brentford, the Hammers had two wins and two draws from their previous four fixtures. Although Arsenal has two defeats and three wins from their last five, they have lost to West Ham in the previous two seasons, one of which cost them dearly in the title-race in the 2023/24 season.
The good thing for the hosts is that they are devoid of any injuries going into this game while Arsenal could miss Myles Lewis Skelly, Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino for this fixture.
The pressure on Arsenal could vary depending on Manchester City’s result a day before. If Man City close the gap, this could be a nervy affair for the North Londoners. Also, with West Ham desperate for a result, they will come hard but the visitors have a top class defence and with Bukayo Saka back in the lineup, Arsenal are the strong favourites to win this game. Their only disadvantage will be that they played midweek while West Ham had ample rest but we still believe Arsenal have enough firepower to secure the three points.
Score Prediction: West Ham 0-2 Arsenal
Spurs secured a massive three points against a significantly rotated Aston Villa last weekend to keep their hopes of Premier League survival alive. Leeds was in trouble earlier but they improved their performances mid-season and are currently sitting in 14th place but are only five points off the bottom three so they need a win too.
Spurs have been able to get a few positive results since Roberto de Zerbi joined as head coach. They now have two wins, a draw and two defeats from their last five. Leeds on the other hand have been unbeaten in their last five with three wins and two draws.
Spurs’ injury issues have bothered them all season and has definitely been one of the mitigating factors for their dismal situation. Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Xavi Simons, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and Cristian Romero are all unavailable. Leeds United on the other hand will miss Gabriel Gudmundsson and Ilia Gruev.
Both teams will be desperate for the three points to ensure safety and it won’t be easy for Spurs as Leeds have been playing well recently and have produced good results away from home too. Spurs did well to beat Villa last weekend but it was a visibly rotated Villa side as they wanted to rest key players ahead of their Europa League semi-final. Leeds has some really good attacking players and Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been a revelation for them. Difficult to call but we believe this could end in an entertaining draw.
Score Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Leeds United
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