With the Champions League slots seemingly sewn up, there are six sides who could realistically go down with four games to go. Ryan Liberty previews gameweek 35.
Saturday 6 May
Bournemouth 12/5 | Draw 23/10 | Chelsea 21/20 (16:00)
I must admit, I have enjoyed watching Bournemouth play these past few weeks. They’re really well-balanced and play with confidence. Gary O’Neil’s men have won four of their last five games to kick away from the relegation battle and now set their sights on hapless Chelsea.
The Blues have been awful. They’re an expensively assembled hodge-podge who seemingly can’t but a win at the moment. It doesn’t help that Frank Lampard – who doesn’t have the finest management record in the Premier League – seems totally out of his depth. I’m on the home win.
Manchester City 2/13 | Draw 13/2 | Leeds 13/1 (16:00)
Surely the title race is done – City will win it. They have been incredibly good, especially when it counts most. They have absolutely bossed games but also managed to scrap their way to victory when they’ve needed to.
Leeds will struggle here, even with Sam Allardyce at the helm for the remainder of the season. The one-time England manager will allegedly be paid out something to the tune of £2.5 million if he can keep them up. Even with this potential payday for Big Sam, I’m all over the home side to score over 2.5 goals at 6/10.
Wolves 9/5 | Draw 11/5 | Aston Villa 7/5 (16:00)
We’re off to the Molineux next where Wolves face off against an Aston Villa outfit who are chasing European football. Wolves have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in recent months, kicking off the bottom of the table at to relative safety between now and Christmas. Worth noting they were given an absolute hiding last weekend by Brighton on the south coast, so they’ll want to bounce back here.
Unai Emery’s acquisition has been something of a masterstroke by the Villa brains trust. The Spaniard has seemingly awoken the sleeping giant with Villa now very much mixing it up at the right end of the table. They were disappointingly beaten by Manchester United last week following an Emi Martinez error that gifted Bruno Fernandes the only goal of the game. I’m on Villa to get it right this time around. Get on the away win.
Tottenham 77/100 | Draw 14/5 | Crystal Palace 3/1 (16:00)
Spurs showed great character to come back from 3-0 down against Liverpool last week but cocked it all up by handing Liverpool the win within seconds of equalising. Tottenham have a massive summer rebuilding job on their hands. Top of their priority list will be hanging onto Harry Kane and bringing in a new manager. They may have already checked out for the season.
Palace have only lost once in their last five league games and find themselves within reach of the top half of the table. They also boast the kind of tricky forwards who can really get at this awful Spurs defence. I reckon the away side could do a job in North London and grab the points.
Liverpool 46/100 | Draw 15/4 | Brentford 9/2 (18:30)
Brentford have pulled themselves out of their late-season slump and are now looking like the side we’ve become accustomed to seeing in the Premier League over the last two seasons. Wins against Forest and Chelsea were preceded by a draw against European hopefuls, Aston Villa. Their upturn in form potentially spells bad news for Liverpool.
Liverpool will dominate the ball, push forward, and look to apply consistent pressure in the final third. They will inevitably give up chances though as we saw against Spurs and Fulham in midweek. I think Liverpool should be too good at home, but I wouldn’t bet against Brentford. Perhaps Both Teams To Score is the smart play here at 13/20.
Sunday 7 May
Newcastle 11/8 | Draw 13/5 | Arsenal 13/8 (17:30)
Newcastle United face the toughest fixture of their run in when Arsenal make the trip up North. Since slipping to a 3-0 away defeat at Aston Villa, Eddie Howe’s men have been near-perfect, scoring 13 times on their way to winning all three of their subsequent fixtures.
Arsenal have seen their title aspirations take a significant knock over the last few weeks. Draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton were followed up by a 4-1 demolition at the hands of Manchester City have left them with only the slimmest chance of winning the league. Tough one to call this, but I reckon Newcastle should edge it in front of a bouncing St. James’ Park faithful.
West Ham 9/4 | Draw 13/5 | Manchester United 1/1 (20:00)
West Ham are probably safe from the drop but could probably use another win before they’re really able to feel comfortable. They’ve not won in three, but two of those games were against Liverpool and Manchester City, with the other defeat coming in a 4-3 thriller against Crystal Palace.
Erik Ten Hag will see this game as a potential banana peel, especially without the services of his first-choice centre-half pairing. The likes of Michail Antonio and Tomáš Souček could cause issues for the Reds their power and aerial prowess. That said, United should just about have the quality to secure the win here. Get on at 17/10.
Monday 8 May
Fulham 31/20 | Draw 12/5 | Leicester 6/4 (16:00)
There have been positive signs for Leicester under Dean Smith, Jamie Vardy is starting to look like his former self and James Maddison getting back into the side will never be a bad thing. They were involved in a cracking 2-2 draw against Everton last weekend that really could have gone either way. The Foxes are still very much involved in a relegation fight, but their goal difference will count as an extra point. They must find a win here.
On paper, Fulham look to be on a pretty bad run of three straight defeats. However, context is important here. Narrow reverses against Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool suggest that this side can mix it up with the best. Indeed, they caused both City and Liverpool problems, with the big boys required to work exceptionally hard for their wins. Back the Londoners to pile more pressure on the Foxes with a win here.
Brighton 7/20 | Draw 4/1 | Everton 13/2 (17:30)
Without Sean Dyche at the helm, Everton would probably be dead and buried. Having said that, they’re on a dire run of form and need to start picking up wins if they are to avoid the drop. The last thing the Toffees’ faithful want will be to move into their shiny new stadium whilst slogging through the Championship.
Brighton come into this fixture full of confidence after smashing Wolves 6-0 last weekend. It’s worth noting that this preview was written prior to their Thursday meeting with Manchester United. Even so, you’d expect this Brighton side – with all of their attacking pomp – to cruise to victory against Everton.
Nottingham Forest 21/20 | Draw 12/5 | Southampton 23/10 (21:00)
Southampton are a tough team to figure out. Their 3-3 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates should have given them all of the confidence in the world considering their relegation situation. But they subsequently ended up getting beaten by Bournemouth and Newcastle without really having looked like they tried.
Steve Cooper’s side have shown heart and desire when playing at the City Ground, picking up 24 of their 30 points there this season. I reckon they’ll make it 27 out of 33 this weekend. Get on Forest!
