Looking at the fixtures across the Premier League this weekend, there are big games galore. Yet, at the start of the campaign, when the random fixture generator did its thing, few would’ve looked at Matchday 28 as one littered with season-shaping matches. But that is exactly what we have.
By Sam McGuire
We have a fair bit to look forward to this weekend.
The race for a top four finish
The wheels do appear to be falling off of Nottingham Forest’s push for a Champions League place.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s men have lost three of the last five in the Premier League. Their form has been a little erratic though. They hammered Brighton 7-0 and held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the City Ground. But then lost 5-0 to Bournemouth, 2-1 to Fulham and 4-3 to Newcastle United.
They’re currently in third position in the Premier League, one point clear of Manchester City, the team they host on Saturday afternoon. A loss for Forest could see them finish the weekend outside of the Champions League places and without momentum on their side, their pursuit of a top four finish could take a bit of a hit.
City, meanwhile, are just as erratic as their hosts.
The reigning champions have won three of their last five in the English top-flight but fell to defeats against Liverpool (2-0) and Arsenal (5-1). They needed a Man of the Match performance from Ederson to keep them in the game against Spurs, a match they ended up winning 1-0.
Somehow, they’ve managed to climb into fourth position and they could stumble their way into the Champions League if they keep managing to eke out results.
Saturday afternoon is a big one for both teams in their quest to be playing in the Champions League next term.
Making it count
It’s top versus bottom at Anfield on Saturday afternoon as Liverpool welcome Southampton to Anfield.
Earlier in the season, the Saints gave the Reds a bit of a scare, leading at St Marys’ until Mohamed Salah did what he does best and scored twice to give Arne Slot’s side a 3-2 win.
Three points should be a formality for the hosts. Liverpool are unbeaten in the Premier League since September and have won six of their last 10. Their lead at the top stands at 13 points and a win here could extend it to 16 before Arsenal kick a ball on Sunday. The amount of pressure on the Gunners to keep this title race alive would be huge.
Southampton, by comparison, have two wins since October. They have lost nine of their last 10 in the Premier League. Their only win during this period was against fellow strugglers Ipswich Town.
They’re as good as relegated, even if they did the unthinkable and beat the league leaders. But if they were to cause an upset, Arsenal would be buoyed by this ahead of their clash against Manchester United. And instead of there being a 16 point gap to chase down, it could well be cut down to 10.
Liverpool can’t take their eye off the ball. Yes, there’s a Champions League second-leg tie against PSG on the horizon but they need three vital points against Southampton.
Relegation relief
Everton appear to be clear of danger now. The appointment of David Moyes sparked the Toffees into life and they’re now 15 points clear of the drop zone. The Blues are on a seven match unbeaten run in the Premier League, winning four of those.
Barring a capitulation coupled with an upturn for a team horribly out of form, they’re free of a relegation scrap this season now.
And this comes at a good time for Moyes and his players given they have a tricky fixture this weekend, away at Molineux against a Wolves side in dire need of a win.
Vítor Pereira’s team are currently five points clear of the drop. They’ve won just three of their last 10 in the Premier League and are going to be without their talisman, Matheus Cunha, for a minimum of three matches. He’s been their star man this term, with 17 goal involvements. The next best for Wolves is Jørgen Strand Larsen with nine.
A win for the hosts could be pivotal in the grand scheme of things. It could give them an eight point gap, which is a hefty amount of breathing space, heading into the final few months of the 2024/25 campaign. Defeat, however, and they’re in a relegation dogfight without their most important player.
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Old rivalries resume
Manchester United are in torrid form. The Red Devils crashed out of the FA Cup, at home, to Fulham last weekend. In their last Premier League outing, they narrowly claimed a 3-2 win over Ipswich Town. They’ve won just three of their last 10 in the English top flight and this run includes five defeats.
When they face off against Arsenal on Sunday, there should only be one winner.
The Gunners haven’t been at their brilliant best lately, likely because they have no fit forwards, but they romped to a 7-1 win over PSV in the Champions League in midweek.
That should’ve been the confidence boost needed to reignite their title challenge and if Liverpool slip up on Saturday, there’s a chance they could narrow the margin at the top.
But the issue is, form goes out of the window when these teams meet. Earlier in the campaign, Manchester United knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup. In the first Premier League meeting between the two sides, the Gunners claimed a narrow 2-0 win over the Red Devils.
There’s more at stake than just three points.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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