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With 4 more games left to go, the top four race in the Premier League has got more exciting than ever. It was a disappointing week for Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, as all the four teams failed to win their respective games.
Tottenham lost to Man City, Chelsea failed to make their mark at Anfield, Arsenal were stunned by the Eagles as they lost the game 3-2 at home, and Man United got smashed at Goodison Park - thanks to Everton. It was a week of ups and downs, and all the teams competing for 3rd and 4th place are going into the midweek games with tough defeats on their backs.
The last thing a team wishes for at such a crunch stage in the season is injuries. Well, unfortunately, Unai Emery has to deal with injuries to Xhaka, Denis Suarez and Monreal. Though the latter was on the bench, Monreal experienced a sprain in his thigh and therefore did not make it to the starting eleven and eventually, Arsenal missed him on the left.
On the other hand, Tottenham sits a point ahead of Arsenal on 3rd, but injury concerns surround Pochettino's men as well. Lloris, Alderweireld, and Sissoko are all sidelined for the game against Brighton in midweek. The biggest blow, however, was losing Harry Kane, as the English man is now sidelined for the rest of the season.
Though Chelsea and Manchester United aren't experiencing any major injuries, they are still struggling to keep form, which makes the top four race even more interesting, and I am sure I will be on the edge of my seat till the last week of PL football.
#4 Manchester United (6th)
Starting with the team on 6th, Manchester United's incredible winning streaks under their new manager have ceased in an atrocious manner. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's first away defeat was against Arsenal at the Emirates, and since then, it has been all downhill for the Manchester club. They were lucky enough to sneak out with a win against West Ham, thanks to terrible decisions from the ref, but last night, Everton ran riots at Goodison Park.
Man United only registered one shot on target against Silva's men, conceding nearly 8. They were completely dominated throughout the 90 minutes, and Ole had to come out an apologise to the fans for such a hell of a show.
What hinders Man United's chances for UCL football, even more, is that they have two games left against the 'Big Six': Man City in midweek and Chelsea on Sunday. If they lose their next two games, UCL football won't be seen at Old Trafford next season. However, if they win their next two fixtures, their chances for a top-four finish increases tremendously as they only have to play two relegation-hit teams in Cardiff City and Huddersfield.
It's do or die for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's men, and if the gaffer can motivate his side and lead them to a top-four finish this season, it would be an impressive achievement considering the squad he had at his disposal.
Predictions for Man United's final games
L vs Man City (H) - 0 points
D vs Chelsea (H) - 1 point
W vs Hudddersfield (A) - 3 points
W vs Cardiff City (H) - 3 points
71 points (6th place finish)
#3 Chelsea FC (5th)
It has been a roller coaster ride for Sarri's side this season, ranging from emphatic wins against Man City and Tottenham to terrible defeats against Arsenal and Manchester United. Despite all the suffering, they are equal on points with Arsenal, who sit on 4th, and are only two points behind Tottenham Hotspurs, which tells us the table could still tilt anyway.
Maurizio Sarri had immense support from the board when he joined the London-based club in the summer, as he replaced Antoine Conte for the Chelsea job. His new employers believed in him and the Italian had more than £150 million as transfer funds in his very first transfer window.
However, Sarri has failed to live up to the expectations at times. He shot to prominence as his side went undefeated for 18 games in a row in the Premier League, but a 3-1 loss to Tottenham at Wembley ended their impressive run and it was only going down for Chelsea, as they succumbed to Wolves, Manchester United, Arsenal, Man City and several other teams in their race to secure UCL football.
Although Chelsea have had an up and down season, their chances for Champions League football are quite significant. They have two home games and two away games left, whereas their city-rivals Arsenal have to play thrice away from home. Also, Chelsea's only tough game might come against Man United at Old Trafford, and maybe, Leicester might put up a show against Sarri's men at the King Power Stadium.
Predictions for Chelsea's final games
W vs Burnley (H) - 3 points
D vs United (A) - 1 point
W vs Watford (H) - 3 points
L vs Leicester (A) - 0 points
73 points (5th place finish)
#2 Arsenal (4th)
What can we say about this Arsenal, eh? They are probably the only team who can pull out a defensive masterclass against Napoli and lose to Crystal Palace at home within a matter of three days. Unai Emery's men had a brilliant chance to go third, 2 points ahead of Tottenham and 3 ahead of Chelsea, as both the teams lost to Man City and Liverpool respectively. But well, Arsenal clearly bottled it.
Arsenal's conceded only 1 goal in their last 7 competitive games; in all games, Sokratis was a regular. However, Sokratis was serving his second of the two-game ban due to picking up 10 yellow cards, and Arsenal ends up conceding three goals in a single game.
Though Sokratis is back for the game against Wolves in midweek, Arsenal has three away games left this season, with only one game at home. If the Gunners suffer a defeat at the hands of Wolves, and with Leicester (A) next, Unai Emery will have to settle with Europa League football for next year, in case they fail to win their next two games. However, if they win both, Champions League football will certainly return to the Emirates, as they are unlikely to drop points against Brighton at home and Burnley away.
Predictions for Arsenal's final games
vs Wolves (A) - 3 points
vs Leicester (A) - 1 point
vs Brighton (H) - 3 points
vs Burnley (A) - 1 points
74 points (4th place finish)
#1 Tottenham Hotspur (3rd)
Out of the lot, Spurs have the easiest run-in till the end of the season. They neither have to play any of the 'Big Six' nor do they have tough away games against middle order teams to worry about. Their only away game is against Bournemouth, who are 14th on the league table.
The 3rd place is Tottenham's to lose, and even if they win three out of the remaining four games, they are easily qualifying for Champions League football. Hence, Pochettino might rest his key players in the league games to give it all against Ajax over the two legs in the Champions League semi-finals.
However, if West Ham and Everton end up bagging a point each against Tottenham, it will make life difficult for Pochettino and his men, though it is highly unlikely to happen.
Predictions for Tottenham's final games
vs Brighton (H) - 3 points
vs West Ham (H) - 3 points
vs Bournemouth (A) - 3 points
vs Everton (H) - 1 point
77 points (3rd place finish)
