FRIDAY:
NEWCASTLE V MAN CITY
Newcastle can breathe a sigh of relief now that they're safe for another season in the Premier League. They all but secured it with their win at Leicester last time out and it was finally secured with Fulham's defeat at Burnley on Monday night. They'll now want a good end to the season so they can end it on a high and carry some momentum into next season. With two winnable games after this one in Sheffield United and Fulham that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The Magpies have been dealt a massive blow going into their final few games as they're set to be without Callum Wilson for the rest of the season. They've really missed Wilson when he's been out this season because of the amount of goals he's scored for them over the course of the season. They may be safe for another season, but Wilson will still be a massive miss for them because of how important he is to the team.
Man City finally have the title secured with Man United's defeat to Leicester on Tuesday being the result that awarded them the main prize. They've had an amazing season despite their slow start and they'll now be looking to end another successful season on a high by winning their remaining games so they have some confidence to take into the Champions League final.
Pep may rest a few of his big guns in the next two or three games including this one with the Champions League final in mind because he won't want to lose any of them to injury. I was surprised with the changes he made against Chelsea last time out because I though he would've fielded a stronger team as they were up against one of the big teams in the league. I won't be surprised if he plays a similar team in this one as they're up against a side that they should be able to beat. But they should still play the big names who missed out like Riyad Mahrez.
I'm going for a Man City win because I think they'll have more than enough quality to win the game. They may rest some players in this one but they should win the game because of how strong their squad is.
PREDICTION: 0-2
SATURDAY:
BURNLEY V LEEDS
Burnley secured their Premier League status on Monday night with their 2-0 win over Fulham which relegated their opponents in the process. They were always going to survive because of the manager they have in Sean Dyche who has once again done a decent job. They had a slow start to the season as they didn't win till November. But you always knew that they were going to survive.
With their Premier League status secured, the Clarets can now start looking ahead to next season because they know they will be in the Premier League next season and can therefore start thinking about which players to bring in during the summer. They didn't bring in many players last season because Dyche wasn't given enough money to spend. But with new owners in at the football club they'll hopefully have more money to spend to improve the squad.
Leeds showed a different side to themselves when they beat Burnley in the reverse fixture as they were more cautious than they were in their previous games at the time. They've showed the defensive side of themselves a lot since that result and its helped them keep more clean sheets than they did in the first half of the season. They've adapted their game as the season has progressed by being more solid defensively.
Marcelo Bielsa's team should have enough in them to finish in the top 10 as they have some winnable games to end the season with. They face Southampton and West Brom following this one which are all winnable games for them as they're all below them in the table. With Marcelo Bielsa's contract up at the end of the season, he would love to go out on a high by leading his side to a top 10 finish in their first season back in the top flight.
I'm going for a Burnley win because they're in decent form and I have a feeling that they'll win this one. Leeds may look better defensively than they were earlier in the season, but I still think Burnley will win this one.
PREDICTION: 2-1
SOUTHAMPTON V FULHAM
Southampton will be looking to end their season on a strong note and their win over Crystal Palace in midweek will hopefully help them do that. Having Danny Ings back made a huge difference as he netted twice and produced a good performance all round. The Saints have missed their star striker when he's been out this season and they might've been higher up the table if he didn't have the injury problems he's had throughout the season.
The Saints could have Oriol Romeu back for this one which would be a massive boost because they've really missed his solidity in midfield. He's arguably been the biggest miss for them during their second half collapse because they haven't had someone who can break up play in midfield like he does. The Saints have conceded 62 goals this season which is level with Sheffield United and they might not have conceded that many if Romeu wasn't injured.
Fulham will now want the season to end with their relegation confirmed and now they can start planning for next season. Their relegation was definitely coming because their confidence was disappearing and it completely went during their defeat to Burnley on Monday night which sealed their fate. They never had enough to survive despite the improvements they showed throughout the season after a terrible start.
Scott Parker will now want his side to end the season on a positive note so they have some momentum to take with them into the Championship so they can get off to the best possible start. They did that last time they were relegated back in the 2018/19 season where Parker arrived at the very end and he'll need to pick his side up yet again which won't be easy after their recent results.
I'm going for a Southampton win because Fulham are low on confidence and I can see the Saints benefit from that. With Danny Ings back in the team they should win this game fairly comfortably.
PREDICTION: 2-0
BRIGHTON V WEST HAM
Brighton will be looking to end the season on a high as their Premier League status has been secured for another season. Their only problem is that they have some tough games to end the season with as they face Man City and Arsenal following this tricky clash against West Ham. The good news for them going into those games is that they have their place secured for next season and two of the teams they still need to play have nothing really to play for other than pride.
The Seagulls have never lost to West Ham since they've been in the Premier League which could give them some confidence going into this game. But they haven't beaten them in their last four meetings with all of them ending in draws. Another good result against them in this one could give them the confidence to help them through their remaining tough fixtures in order to end the season on a good note.
This is a game that West Ham will need to win if they're to qualify for next seasons Champions League because a win will move them within 3 points of 4th placed Chelsea. With Chelsea not playing due to their participation in the FA Cup final this game presents the Hammers a big opportunity to reduce the gap and put themselves right back in contention for a place in Europe's top competition next season. They will not want to waste this opportunity.
The Hammers have a poor record against Brighton having lost three and drawn seven of their seven meetings with them in the Premier League. They'll be looking to put that record right in this one by winning the game so they can finally end their Brighton hoodoo in the Premier League. That may not matter to them as they will just see this as a normal game of football which they'll be expected to win. But they may have it in their minds as Brighton always seem to get something against them which they'll be hoping not to be case again.
I'm going for a West Ham win because Brighton will be without Lewis Dunk through suspension. The Seagulls are more organised and solid defensively when Dunk is around and with him not there I can see West Ham make many runs in behind with the pace they have in the team.
PREDICTION: 0-2
SUNDAY:
CRYSTAL PALACE V ASTON VILLA
Crystal Palace shot themselves in the foot in midweek against Southampton as they let a lead slip before missing a crucial penalty later on. They may have their Premier League status secured for another season, but they'll still be kicking themselves for not winning that game because they were leading the game and they ended up losing 3-1.
This game looks like the last opportunity for the Eagles to get some points on board as they have two tough games to end the season with in Arsenal and Liverpool. A win here could give them the confidence to help them through those games. This is both a tough and winnable game for Palace. Tough because Villa have had a very good season and winnable because it's a game that the Eagles can get something from. With two exciting attacking players in Zaha and Eze they definitely have a chance of getting something form this game.
Aston Villa will be delighted to finally have Jack Grealish back following his return to action from the bench in their goalless draw with Everton in midweek. Villa have really missed their talisman whilst he's been out injured and now he's back they'll hopefully end the season strongly. They won just three times during his absence as their European challenge fizzled out but at least they still remain in contention for a place in the top 10 which will still mark a very good season for Villa considering where they finished last season.
Villa were on the verge of being relegated at this stage of last season until a win and a draw in their final two games kept them up. They've kicked on brilliantly since then and they finally have a team that is capable of competing in the Premier League. They've been solid at the back all season and have been a decent team to watch going forward. Dean Smith deserves a lot of credit for this because he's brought the right players into the football club to improve his side and he's made the team better because of this.
I'm going for a Palace win because Villa are without Ollie Watkins through suspension. They may have Jack Grealish back but he's not yet at 100% as he's just returned from injury. Because of this I think Palace will win this one because they will have their two best attacking players in Zaha and Eze available.
PREDICTION: 1-0
TOTTENHAM V WOLVES
Spurs' hopes of playing in Europe next season appear to be hanging by a thread following Arsenal's win over Chelsea on Wednesday night which moved them to within a point of Spurs who are currently 7th. They're definitely not going to qualify for the Champions League as that looks very unlikely but for them not to play in Europe overall would be a complete disaster because it could see key players leave the club in the summer. Harry Kane looks certain to leave and I would not be surprised if Heung Min Son follows him because he's another player who could get snapped up by one of Europe's bigger clubs.
With the key players likely to leave in the summer Spurs face an interesting summer as they have a new manager to hire as well. That search hasn't got anywhere as of yet and they'll be looking to step it up another notch soon so they can stat planning ahead to next season. Daniel Levy will surely be aware of that.
Wolves played a fairly young side in their win over Brighton last time out with six of their starting 11 under the age of 25. With nothing left to play for this season I wouldn't be surprised if they continue playing the youngsters because the end of the season is usually the best time to play them. Especially when you have nothing to play for. They could be the best source for ending the season strongly as they can provide the team some much needed positivity.
Wolves were in and around the European places this time last season and nobody thought that they would be where they are now one season later. They haven't been as solid defensively as they usually are and going forward they haven't scored as many goals. Jimenez as we all know has been a huge loss because of how important he's been for them but we shouldn't forget that they lost Doherty and Jota in the summer. Those two have also been a big loss to the team like Jimenez has.
I'm going for a Spurs win because I think they have more quality than Wolves at this moment in time. They'll have their best forward players on the pitch unlike Wolves and I think they'll be the difference in this one.
PREDICTION: 2-1
WEST BROM V LIVERPOOL
West Brom can now look ahead to life back in the Championship with their relegation confirmed following their defeat to Arsenal last weekend. It was always going to be a tough ask for Sam Allardyce to keep them up and in the end the job was too big for him. The Baggies didn't have enough quality or Premier League experience in their side and were not good enough at both ends of the pitch despite their improvement later on in the season.
The Baggies 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture was supposed to provide a platform for them to build on because of the performance they put in to get the point. But it didn't turn out that way as they've conceded a lot of goals over the course of the season and lost a lot of games which is why they've been relegated. They did make some okay signings in January but they weren't enough as they were heading for the trap door anyway because of how adrift they were at the time.
Liverpool were back to their clinical best against Man United in midweek as all the forward players took their chances which wasn't happening in the games prior to this one. They responded very well to going behind and their equaliser gave them the confidence to go on and win the game. They forced United into mistakes from which two of their goals were scored from and they caused their backline problems with their energy and runs in behind. It was a game they had to win and they did so very well.
This is another game that the reds have to win because Chelsea and Leicester are playing in the FA Cup final and a win here would really put the pressure on both them. The reds moved four points behind Chelsea with their win over United in midweek which kept their hopes of Champions League football alive. They now need to win all their remaining fixtures if they're to finish there at the end of the season. Especially with Chelsea and Leicester playing each other later in the week.
I'm going for a Liverpool win because they'll be full of confidence after their win over United plus they should have enough quality to beat a team like West Brom. With the Baggies low on confidence following their relegation, the reds should definitely win this game.
PREDICTION: 0-2
EVERTON V SHEFFIELD UNITED
Everton must've been kicking themselves after their draw with Aston Villa in midweek because of the amount of chances they missed during the game. The Toffees had only 5 of their 15 shots on target with several of their crosses into the box being over hit. They're still in the hunt for the Europe but that result was a an opportunity missed as it would've taken them above Spurs into 7th.
The Toffees will be hoping to put their home form right in this one as they've won just five games at home all season. Their away form had been their problem for the last two season and this season it has been the other way round. They'll need to sort this out next season if they're to qualify for Europe because they might've been in those European places had their home form been much better than it has been.
Sheffield United are just one defeat away from equalling the record for most defeats in a season in 29 which is currently held by Ipswich (1994/95), Sunderland (2005/06) and Derby (2007/08. They have just one unwanted record to avoid in that one and they'll need to avoid defeat in all of their remaining fixtures if they're to avoid breaking or equalling that unwanted record. They're more likely to get something from their final two games as they're both winnable fixtures against Newcastle and Burnley.
I'm going for an Everton win because they have more than enough quality to win this game. They have struggled at home this season but they'll still have enough in them to win this game.
PREDICTION: 3-0
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