With just a few matches remaining of the Premier League season the race for Champions League qualification is going down to the wire.
Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will battle to secure the final spots in Europe’s premier cup competition, with Arsenal having all but secured their place and Liverpool crowned as champions.
Arne Slot’s sealed their 20th top-flight title at a canter, while the three relegation spots already confirmed, leaving the race for the top five as all that’s left to provide drama before the final weekend.
The strong performances of the English sides in Europe has earned an extra qualification place for next season’s Champions League, while Manchester United or Tottenham will be a sixth entrant after the Premier League pair set up a Europa League final meeting.
But which teams are best placed to finish in the top five come the end of May? Let’s take a look…
Newcastle United
Points: 66 (played 36)
Newcastle’s victory over Chelsea was huge in the race of the top-five, and they may even be eying a place in the top-two if they can beat Arsenal for the fourth time this season when they go to the Emirates next week.
Sandro Tonali’s early goal gave Newcastle a dream start at Stamford Bridge and they held on secure an important victory over Enzo Maresca’s side, who were down to 10 men after Nicolas Jackson’s red card, when Bruno Guimaraes sealed a massive three points late on.
One more win could be enough for Newcastle to secure top five. The Arsenal fixture is tough, and their record at the Emirates is woeful, but Newcastle then finish the season at home to Everton.
Remaining fixtures
18 May: Arsenal (A)
25 May: Everton (H)
Manchester City
Points: 65 (played 36)
Pep Guardiola has already emphasised the potential importance of qualifying for Europe’s top-tier competition after a difficult season for the defending champions.
A damaging draw at Southampton was a serious slip-up as Manchester City missed out on the chance to move level on points with Arsenal in second, opening the door to those below to close the gap.
Guardiola’s side now need to navigate potentially problematic matches against Bournemouth and Fulham, who are both pushing for a top-half finish.
Remaining fixtures
18 May: Bournemouth (H)
25 May: Fulham (A)
Chelsea
Points: 63 (played 36)
Oh Nicolas Jackson, what have you done? Chelsea’s run of five wins in a row came crashing to a halt against Newcastle, in a potentially damaging defeat that was not made any easier by the striker’s first-half red card for elbowing Sven Botman.
Chelsea’s hopes will come down to their final home fixture of the season, at home to Europa League finalists Manchester United, and then away to fellow top-five challengers Nottingham Forest on the final day.
Forest will have the chance to leapfrog Chelsea when they host Leicester today.
Chelsea’s remaining fixtures are as follows:
16 May: Manchester United (H)
25 May: Nottingham Forest (A)
Aston Villa
Points: 63 (played 36)
A gutsy win at Bournemouth was vital for Aston Villa as Ollie Watkins again showed his worth. It’s a pleasant enough end to the season for Unai Emery’s side, too, with their last two matches against Europa League final combatants Tottenham and Manchester United – whose focus may well lie elsewhere.
Villa’s remaining fixtures are as follows:
18 May: Tottenham (H)
25 May: Manchester United (A)
Nottingham Forest
Points: 61 (played 35)
A run of four defeats in five games, capped by a 2-0 home loss to Brentford at the City Ground, represented a real slump for Nottingham Forest in a period that also included a dispiriting FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
A draw against Crystal Palace only partially stopped the rot, but it is a reasonably kind finish: Leicester and West Ham are both desperately out of form. The final-day meeting with Chelsea could prove pivotal and their fate is in their own hands.
Forest’s remaining fixtures are as follows:
11 May: Leicester (H)
18 May: West Ham (A)
25 May: Chelsea (H)
