A home game against 10th-placed Stoke City is not as much of a hit-and-miss proposition as closest rivals, Manchester City’s away match against unpredictable Crystal Palace. Against that background, Jose Mourinho’s side have the title firmly in their hands as they head to their 30th league game.
City on the other hand, cannot afford to drop any more points as they visit Palace, who are themselves fighting to remain safe on the log, with just seven games remaining for them before close of this campaign. Sitting on 36 points, Palace are not all that safe, with a mere 11 points separating them from Burnley, who occupy the last relegation spot at third-from-bottom.
The game of the week remains the Emirates Stadium tie between third-placed Arsenal and sixth-placed Liverpool. The two are separated by six points as both continue to fight for a top four position, whose ultimate reward is qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool’s chances took a heavy knock two weekends ago, when they let it slip with a 2-1 home loss to Manchester United, who remain fourth and five points adrift of the Super Reds ahead of this weekend’s fixtures. The Reds will head off to Arsenal without skipper Steven Gerrard, largely blamed for the loss against United, where a rush of blood to the head resulted in a 46th minute send-off for the otherwise talismanic captain.
United look set to have it easy against visiting Aston Villa, whose only impetus remains that of moving further away from the relegation zone. Elsewhere, Everton host Southampton, West Bromwich Albion are home against Queens Park Rangers, while Leicester City host West Ham United.
Other Fixtures:
Saturday:
Swansea City vs Hull City
Sunday:
Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur; Sunderland vs Newcastle United
Post published in: Football