Predictions-
Sunday 26 July (all 4pm)
- Arsenal 2-0 Watford
- Burnley 1-0 Brighton
- Chelsea 1-0 Wolves
- Crystal Palace 0-2 Spurs
- Everton 2-0 Bournemouth
- Leicester 1-2 Manchester United
- Man City 4-0 Norwich
- Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool
- Southampton 3-1 Sheffield United
- West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa
Summary-
According to my predictions, Chelsea and Manchester United will occupy the final Champions League spots, with wins against Wolves and Leicester, respectively. Anything other than Chelsea and Manchester United occupying the 2 remaining Champions League spots will be a disaster for the side who misses out, given Leicester’s poor form- which has given both teams ample opportunity to secure their Champions League status for next season. Both Chelsea and United must now avoid final day defeats, to avoid final day disaster.
On the relegation front, Watford got what they deserved following the unjustified sacking of Nigel Pearson. That was a 4-0 drubbing by Manchester City on Tuesday, which disintegrated Watford’s goal difference edge over their rivals. To make matters even worse, Aston Villa pulled off a shock win against Arsenal to leapfrog the Hornets on Wednesday, and now only need to equal what Watford do on the final day to avoid relegation, and subsequently relegate Watford.
Game of the Week: Leicester vs Manchester United
With Champions League football within reach, Leicester City’s clash with Manchester United is undoubtedly the most important final day fixture. A win for either side would cement their place in the Premier League’s top 4 at the other’s expense. However, United can secure this spot with draw, thanks to their superior goal difference.
Leicester City will be without key quartet James Maddison, Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu for Sunday, which will certainly benefit Manchester United, however, Leicester may still have enough to come away with the win, if Manchester United replicate their recent poor performances against Chelsea and West Ham.
Manchester United expectedly dominate the combined XI, which is a testament to their run of form and the rise of the likes of Martial, Greenwood and Lindelof, who all would’ve missed out 7-8 months ago. Manchester United also occupy the full-back positions, due to the injuries to Pereira and Chilwell.
Prediction-
Recent meetings between Leicester and United have been incredibly tight, with United winning by a single goal in each of their last 3 encounters. With so much on the line on Sunday, another tense, nervy affair is anticipated, but with some many players out for Leicester, I expect Manchester United to narrowly edge out their 4th single goal victory in a row over the Foxes.
Scoreline- Leicester 1 Manchester United 2
Best Bet- BTTS @ 3/4