With Chelsea on the verge of claiming the Premier League title and Tottenham Hotspur set to finish in second place, the interest at the top of the log turns to who will make up the remainder of the top four and qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Manchester City coach Pep GuardiolaThe team in prime place to claim third (and the final automatic place in the group stages of the UCL) is Manchester City. They are currently placed fourth, but have a game in hand on Liverpool above them and all of their remaining fixtures look eminently winnable - particularly if they reproduce the form which saw them thrash Crystal Palace 5-0 this past weekend.
Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool celebratesThe Reds look likely to finish fourth (which earns an entry into the final qualifying round for the UCL) and wins from their two remaining fixtures (West Ham United away and Middlesbrough at home) will guarantee they finish ahead of both Manchester United and Arsenal. Jurgen Klopp’s side may have laboured to a goalless draw at home Southampton on Sunday (and taken just four points from the last nine available), but with their fate in their own hands they are the team to back.
That leaves Manchester United and Arsenal both hoping for slip-ups from above. The Gunners could conceivably win all four of their remaining matches, but they’ve been wildly inconsistent this season - their win over United on the weekend was a fine performance, but are they truly capable of sustaining that level of performance?
Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose MourinhoAs for Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils, it would be no surprise to see them slip to sixth place given that they face a match away to Tottenham Hotspur next up and have seemingly already turned their attention to trying to win the Europa League. Yet the good news for United fans is that a triumph in Europe’s second tier continental competition earns a place in the Champions League for the following season.
The teams’ stats
Liverpool - 3rd place, 70 points
Remaining fixtures: West Ham United (A), Middlesbrough (H)
Can finish on a maximum of 76 points
Manchester City - 4th place, 69 points
Remaining fixtures: Leicester City (H), West Bromwich Albion (H), Watford (A)
Can finish on a maximum of 78 points
Manchester United - 5th place, 65 points
Remaining fixtures: Tottenham Hotspur (A), Southampton (A), Crystal Palace (H)
Can finish in a maximum of 74 points
Arsenal - 6th place, 63 points
Remaining fixtures: Southampton (A), Stoke City (A), Sunderland (H), Everton (H)
Can finish on a maximum of 75 points