Alex Keble analyses where the upcoming fixtures in Matchweek 37 could be won and lost including:
- Can Man Utd keep Arsenal at bay?
- Man City to extend winning run over Fulham
- One last push for exhausted Villa
- Can West Ham give Moyes perfect send-off?
- Will Forest capitalise on Chelsea's away struggles?
- Newcastle target Brighton win
- Palace on course to match points record
- Which Burnley will show up against Spurs?
- Everton aiming to breach Sheff Utd's leaky defence
- Bournemouth to end on a high in final home match
How do Man Utd stop Arsenal from running riot at Old Trafford?
The 4-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening was a new nadir for Erik ten Hag and it leaves Manchester United in danger of their lowest-ever Premier League finish.
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Arsenal - who have steamrollered Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and AFC Bournemouth in successive matches - are heavy favourites to win at Old Trafford and on recent showing, it might be by a big scoreline.
The most important thing for the hosts is to be competitive, although any sort of defeat gives Chelsea and Newcastle United (whom Man Utd face next) the chance to pull clear in the European spots.
It’s hard to see how they avoid that fate.
An injury crisis in central defence saw United fall apart against Palace on Monday and considering the form of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard the hosts may struggle to have the togetherness required to hold Arsenal at bay.
Perhaps the best option is for United to go with an out-and-out defensive formation.
Ten Hag may abandon his principles and sit 10 players behind the ball, hoping to slow Arsenal down and keep things at 0-0 until Mikel Arteta’s side begin to look nervous.
But Man Utd did not manage this in the recent 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool, a match in which Jurgen Klopp’s team failed to take advantage of numerous four-on-twos and an xG of 3.67.
It would be one of the upsets of the season if Arsenal were to slip up here.
Can Fulham do anything to prevent another Haaland-inspired Man City defeat?
The job looks just as straightforward for Manchester City as it does for Arsenal.
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Fulham’s season has petered out. They have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches (D3 L3) and are winless in their last three at Craven Cottage (D1 L2) as Marco Silva tires to revive a team bobbing along in mid-table.
That hardly suggests Fulham are about to break a sequence of 15 consecutive defeats to Man City in all competitions, although they will need to if they are to avoid the longest losing streak any team has had against another in competitive English football history.
More good news for Man City fans: they are unbeaten in 20 Premier Leagues matches, have won six in a row (netting four or more on five occasions), and Erling Haaland – who scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture, a 5-1 win for City – bagged four last time out.
So, absolutely everything points to an easy Man City win… except for the fact that Fulham and Man City had three shots apiece in the first half when they met at Etihad Stadium in September and should have gone in level at 1-1, only for Nathan Ake to score a goal Howard Webb later admitted should not have stood.
Fulham were solid, compact, and competitive for 45 minutes. On home turf, can they do it for a full 90?
Can Villa find a way to get over the line despite their exhaustion?
Villa look exhausted. The fortunate 2-2 draw against Chelsea, 4-2 defeat to Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa Conference League and 1-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in the space of a week was defined by players who looked as if they were running through treacle.
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Fortunately for Unai Emery, Spurs need to win all three of their remaining matches – including a midweek fixture with Man City – to pip them for fourth, so Villa can probably afford to hobble over the line.
Nevertheless their final match of the season at Villa Park ought to be a celebration of a magnificent campaign and for that reason alone, the players may be able to overcome fatigue for one last push.
After all, Liverpool have failed to win their last two away Premier League matches and have looked as tired as Villa, although a lack of Thursday night action this week gives them a clear advantage over their hosts, as does their ability to rotate.
Harvey Elliott’s excellent performance against Spurs was a sign of Klopp’s strength in depth in central midfield, an area where Villa are decimated by injuries.
Villa’s hopes rest on Ollie Watkins. He has scored five career goals against Liverpool, including a hat-trick in their famous 7-2 win back in October 2020, and needs just one more to become the first Villa player to hit 20 league goals since club-legend Peter Withe in 1980/81.
Will David Moyes get the send-off he deserves?
The David Moyes era looked like it was going to end with a whimper so it’s good news for everyone that his departure has been announced prior to the club’s last home match of the season, giving supporters the chance to wish a fond farewell to an excellent West Ham manager.
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The football hasn’t always been exciting to watch, but Moyes transformed the club from relegation candidates into European regulars.
We couldn’t put it any better than Moyes did in the club statement.
“I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019.
“When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe.
“After leading the club to safety, we guided the team to finishes of sixth and seventh in the Premier League, and I was delighted when we won the Europa Conference League title last June – the club’s first major trophy in 43 years.”
That is a superb legacy to leave behind, even if his final year has seen a notable downturn in performances and results.
It is the right time for everyone to move on, but supporters will cherish memories of a Europa League semi-final and the Conference League triumph in Prague. The Moyes era deserves to end on a high.
Will Forest capitalise on Chelsea’s away form to secure safety?
Last season, Nottingham Forest secured another year in the top flight with a famous 1-0 win against Arsenal at the City Ground. They could do something almost as dramatic again on Saturday.
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Forest might only need one more point to stay up (if Luton and Burnley lose) but three would guarantee it, and Chelsea’s away form tells us Nuno Espirito Santo’s side could secure back-to-back Premier League wins for only the second time this season.
Chelsea have not won any of their last five away matches in the Premier League, a sequence that includes 2-2 draws with Brentford and Sheffield United as well as a 5-0 hammering at Arsenal.
They’re vulnerable, then - and Forest already know the tactical plan required to stump Mauricio Pochettino.
Forest won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in September, despite holding just 24 per cent possession, to date their second-lowest tally in a match this season.
Former Forest head coach Steve Cooper’s strategy was to sit deep and spring forward on the counter-attack, an idea that Nuno will happily copy.
But both clubs have come a long way since then. Chelsea aren’t as profligate now that Nicolas Jackson has found form, and it’s noteworthy that then-new signing Cole Palmer only came on in the 62nd minute.
Mind you, former Chelsea player Callum Hudson-Odoi, brilliant in the win at Sheff Utd, wasn’t in the squad at all.
Forest have a real chance.
Can Newcastle make 23/24 a surprisingly successful season?
A slow start to their Premier League campaign and disappointment in the UEFA Champions League group stages appeared to set Newcastle United up for an underwhelming 2023/24, and yet things could turn out very well indeed for Eddie Howe.
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An injury crisis to match any club in the division has significantly hampered their progress, but even so Newcastle are on the brink of a season to be proud of.
They have scored 78 Premier League goals, meaning they are only four short of their record haul in 1993/94, and have scored in all 18 of their home matches.
The last time they did so in all of their home league fixtures was way back in 1982/83.
More importantly, Newcastle are two points clear in sixth and looking good for Europa League qualification should they beat Brighton on Saturday – as they ought to.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
Brighton have netted just five goals in their last 10 Premier League matches. Free-scoring Newcastle should take the three points.
Will in-form Palace overtake Wolves as they look to match points record?
In the Premier League era, Palace have never looked this good. Oliver Glasner is doing a phenomenal job at Selhurst Park and while the 4-0 destruction of Man Utd on Monday evening was the peak, things could get even better.
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Victory in the last two matches of the campaign would bring Palace up to 49 points, level with their highest ever points tally in the competition.
He should get to 46 points on Saturday. Wolverhampton Wanderers have only won one of their last nine matches in all competitions and that was at home to Luton Town, whereas Palace have won four of their last five and scored 4+ goals in two of their last four.
Can Burnley lift themselves for one last push at Spurs?
It’s impossible to predict what mood Burnley will be in on Saturday.
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Was the 4-1 defeat at home to Newcastle seen as the moment of relegation, or has Vincent Kompany convinced the players they can win at Spurs and at home to Nott'm Forest?
Instilling belief won’t be easy considering Burnley have lost all seven of their league matches against sides starting the day in the top five and by an aggregate score of 24-7.
Then again, Spurs have lost four on the spin and are arguably there for the taking, having conceded in each of their last 13 home league matches, their longest streak in over 20 years.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
Indeed Ange Postecoglou could become the first Spurs manager since Osvaldo Ardiles in February 1994 to lose five consecutive matches.
If that was to happen, Villa would be confirmed in the top four and Burnley, just maybe, would still be on for an extraordinary great escape.
Will goal-shy Everton be the team to condemn Sheff Utd to the 100+ record?
Sheff Utd are already guaranteed bottom spot in the Premier League, but their season isn’t over.
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There is still the vain hope that Chris Wilder’s side can record back-to-back clean sheets in their final two matches and avoid holding the outright record for most goals conceded in a Premier League campaign.
They are currently on 100, the joint-highest.
That doesn’t seem likely. In fact, it’s far more likely the Blades will break the top flight record for the 20th and 21st century. The only teams who have ever conceded more than 100 goals are Darwen (112 in 1891/92) and Leicester City (102 in 1908/09).
Luckily, Everton have the lowest shot conversion rate in the division (7.8 per cent), while only Sheff Utd themselves (35) have scored fewer goals than Sean Dyche’s side (38).
Darwen’s record is probably safe.
Can Bournemouth end on a high at Vitality Stadium?
Andoni Iraola will be desperate to ensure the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal last weekend does not signal the end of his team’s season. There is still a place in the top 10 to fight for.
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Win their last two and Bournemouth will likely pip West Ham for ninth, making 2023/24 their joint-highest ever Premier League finish.
Plus they ought to be motivated to give the fans something to cheer about in their final match at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries have lost their last home league match in three of the last four seasons, the only exception being a 1-0 win against Millwall in the Championship in 2021/22.