Premier League permutations: Title race, Champions League, Europe and relegation state of play | Football News

May 18, 2022 admin

The Premier League is entering the final few days of the season and there is still plenty to play for in the remaining matches.

Manchester City rescued a 2-2 draw at West Ham leaving the door open for Liverpool to move a point behind them with a 2-1 victory at Southampton on Tuesday night.

Jurgen Klopp’s side still need City to drop points in their final game of the season at home to Aston Villa if they are to claim a stunning domestic treble.

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are vying for the final Champions League spot while Manchester United and West Ham are battling it out for qualification for the Europa League and Europa Conference League respectively.

And, at the bottom end of the table, one of Leeds, Burnley and Everton will join Norwich City and Watford in the Sky Bet Championship.

Sky Sports runs through the state of play and all the permutations as the season reaches its crescendo.

Title race

Manchester City (90 points) have already won three Premier League titles on the final day of the season – in 2012, 2014 and 2019 – and they could do so again this Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s men lead Liverpool by a solitary point after Jurgen Klopp’s side cut their advantage with a 2-1 win at Southampton on Tuesday. It means City need to win against Aston Villa to be sure of a sixth Premier League title.

Liverpool (89 points) would be crowned champions with a win over Wolves on Sunday at Anfield if City drop points. A draw is unlikely to be enough for Liverpool as even a defeat for City would likely mean they remain top courtesy of the six-goal swing that is required.

Sky Bet odds to win Premier League…

Man City: 1/0 with Sky Bet

Liverpool: 5/1 with Sky Bet

Race for top four

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League group stages. Chelsea (70 points) can still finish in fourth place if they lose both of their final league games at home to Leicester and Watford while Tottenham (68 points) beat Norwich on the final day at Carrow Road.

Fourth-placed Spurs can still be caught by Arsenal (66 points), who suffered a major blow to their Champions League aspirations on Monday night. Mikel Arteta has insisted he does not have to tell his players what is at stake as they attempt to revive their fading hopes.

The Gunners entertain relegation-threatened Everton on Sunday knowing even victory might not be enough to secure a top-four Premier League finish after their costly 2-0 defeat at Newcastle.

That left them two points adrift of arch-rivals Tottenham, whose superior goal difference means a draw at relegated Norwich, barring a cricket score at the Emirates Stadium, will be enough to keep their neighbours at bay.

Sky Bet odds to qualify for Champions League…

Tottenham: 1/33 with Sky Bet

Arsenal: 10/1 with Sky Bet

Race for Europe

One of Tottenham and Arsenal are guaranteed to be in the Europa League group stages by finishing in fifth place. With Liverpool winning both domestic cups, sixth place in the Premier League will also seal a group-stage position in this competition.

Manchester United and West Ham are still in contention, and whoever finishes seventh will play in the Europa Conference League, entering in the play-off round.

Two points clear of West Ham but with an inferior goal difference, Man Utd (58 points) need to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to be assured of sixth.

West Ham (56 points) are away to Brighton and would rise a position if they win at the Amex Stadium and Man Utd fail to do likewise. Eight-placed Wolves, on 51 points, can no longer qualify for Europe.

Sky Bet odds to qualify for Europa League…

Man Utd: 1/5 with Sky Bet

West Ham: 10/3 with Sky Bet

Relegation picture

Defeats for Everton and Burnley and a dramatic late equaliser for Leeds last Sunday mean the relegation scrap will go to the final week. Here are the permutations.

Leeds remain favourites for relegation but their situation would have been far worse had Pascal Struijk not struck a late equaliser to lift them out of the bottom three against Brighton in a 1-1 draw. That point could prove crucial but their fate is out of their hands as Burnley and Everton both have a game in hand each, and are both due to play on Thursday.

What Leeds do know is whatever happens on Thursday, that late strike against Brighton does mean they still have hope going into the final day where they play at Brentford. What result they will need will obviously be dependent on how the games on Thursday go but three points will be the aim.

Despite losing to Tottenham 1-0, Burnley know the job they have to do at getting to 38 points from their final two games will all but get them safe. This means four points from their final two games – away at Aston Villa on Thursday and at home to Newcastle on Sunday – will be enough. Any slips will open the door for Leeds.

Everton remain 16th but only two points outside the relegation zone but still have their fate in their own hands, too. They know three points from their remaining two fixtures – at home to Crystal Palace on Thursday and away at Arsenal on Sunday – will be enough for survival. Two draws will all but secure their safety too barring no miraculous mathematic goal swing with Leeds, who have a -18 worse goal difference than Frank Lampard’s side.