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We'll know by Sunday who's winning the Premier League title as we head into the last leg of the 2023-24 campaign. Arsenal and Liverpool could go four points clear of Manchester City before the reigning champions take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, so we have an exciting bunch of midweek games ahead of us!
Arsenal vs Chelsea
Chelsea never turned up at the Emirates last year and Arsenal absolutely blew them away. The Gunners will hope for a similar result this time out as they aim to go four points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League summit.
Chelsea will be kicking themselves for not beating Man City in the FA Cup semifinal and I think that result will play on their minds a little bit. They played so well but ended up on the losing side and have a handful of injury problems ahead of this one, with Cole Palmer, in particular, a huge fitness doubt. He's such an intelligent footballer and should be in contention to win the Player of the Season award alongside the likes of Declan Rice, Virgil van Dijk and Phil Foden, among others.
Arsenal have to be patient and not be as open as they were at the back against Aston Villa. Chelsea will give them a game and might even frustrate them for large parts of the 90 minutes, but they shouldn't force it and look to play their natural game.
If Arsenal win their next two games, Man City need to be perfect between now and the end of the season to be crowned champions. If they win today - and I think they will - there will be massive pressure on Pep Guardiola's side to win their games in hand.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Bournemouth
Wolves have been unlucky with injuries and to key players as well. Gary O'Neil is set to come up against his former club and I fancy him to get one over them. Bournemouth went ahead against Aston Villa but fell to a 3-1 defeat last weekend. They got outplayed by Unai Emery and Co, so I fancy Wolves to get all three points.
Dominic Solanke is a great striker and has finally come into his own in the Premier League, but as unfortunate as it sounds, I still don't think he'll be part of the England camp for Euro 2024. The likes of Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney are ahead of him, so there's no space for him in Gareth Southgate's squad.
Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Bournemouth
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United
Who saw that Crystal Palace performance coming the other day? They have three matchwinners in attack with Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta and in my opinion, that's the best front three in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Newcastle United would have looked at this one as a winnable game a couple of weeks ago, but the situation has changed dramatically. I'm going for the two sides to share the spoils in an entertaining contest.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-2 Newcastle United
Manchester United vs Sheffield United
Manchester United will somehow win this and it will be another result that keeps them above the water, but something's got to change at the club. Their performance against Coventry was as bad as it gets - they can have no excuses despite making it through to the FA Cup final on penalties.
Erik ten Hag is under pressure and could be sacked at the end of the season. I know Manchester United need someone from the long haul, but they could do well with someone like Carlo Ancelotti. When I watched Real Madrid against Manchester City at the Etihad, I watched a handful of global superstars work their socks off to get a result away from home - that's what Manchester United need. People will ask why Ancelotti would go to Manchester United, but he's won it all in Spain multiple times! I can't see it happening, but he's the kind of manager they need.
My boys showed me the contrasting reactions from Harry Maguire and Antony after Rasmus Hojlund scored the winning penalty. One was classy and the other one wasn't, but I don't want to have a go at Antony. Maybe as a young kid in Brazil, he'd have grown up dreaming of playing a big cup final in Wembley, so his emotions probably got the better of him.
Sheffield United are going to get relegated and literally gave up against Burnley, so I give them no chance at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Sheffield United
Everton vs Liverpool
Everton got hammered by Chelsea but turned it around with a crucial win against Nottingham Forest, fair play to them. This is a must-win game for Liverpool to stay in the Premier League title race and the Toffees will make it hard for them in the local derby. Goodison Park will be absolutely bouncing at the thought of ending Liverpool's title hopes, but I think the Reds will just edge it.
As they showed against Fulham, the cream always rises to the top, which is likely to be the case again this week. Liverpool have more matchwinners on their side, which is why I'm going for an away win. Jurgen Klopp made a lot of changes to his starting XI last weekend, but I think the likes of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez could return to the side for this one.
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Liverpool
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City
By the time Man City play, they could be four points behind Arsenal and Liverpool, so they will be under immense pressure to win their games in hand. In my opinion, City have to be careful as they are a bit knackered after a bunch of grueling games across all competitions.
Teams are also starting to get around Rodri a little bit, but I doubt Brighton will cause them too many problems. They are not the team they were last season and are very much a middle-of-the-table team this time around, so I think Man City will get the job done.
Prediction: Brighton 1-3 Man City
