The Premier League returns this weekend after an extended break for international matches and the FA Cup quarterfinals. Arsenal returns to action with a substantial lead over Manchester City yet still seems vulnerable and generally unimpressive. The Gunners were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by City a few weeks ago and then last week were beaten in the FA Cup by Southampton. Arsenal managed to edge Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday with a stoppage time winner from Kai Havertz.
The lead over Manchester City is nine points. The Citizens, however, have a game in hand and host Arsenal on April 19th. There is thus less margin for error than it would seem for an Arsenal side which is not projecting championship form at the moment. The league leaders host Bournemouth this weekend with the Cherries riding a curious five match run of consecutive draws. The Cherries were whitewashed in three of those matches as they face Arsenal’s’ league leading defense which has for the most part compensated for a lackluster Gunner attack this season.
Manchester City, meanwhile, visits Chelsea for a match at Stamford Bridge with huge ramifications for both squads. Chelsea is currently on the outside looking in with respect to Champions League qualification. The Blues sit sixth in the table after losing three of their last four matches. Since the club last took the pitch in a Premier League match, three star players have spoken out with negative remarks regarding their Chelsea futures, the club’s recruitment policies and the decision to change managers earlier this season. While the comments of Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo were relatively benign if unwelcome, Enzo Fernandez earned himself a two-match suspension by the club which will see him on the bench for the crucial match versus Manchester City.
Chelsea is currently a point behind Liverpool and two points ahead of Brentford and Everton. Liverpool was rocked 4-0 when the club was decisively booted from the FA Cup by Manchester City last weekend. The unraveling Reds were then undone 2-0 by PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday, a contest in which the Premier League side failed to put a single shot on target as Manager Arne Slot kept Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah bolted to the bench for the entire game. Liverpool needs a home win this weekend against Fulham to help stem the tide of supporter discontent which has endangered the job security of Manager Arne Slot.
The winner of the Brentford and Everton match at Gtech Stadium on Saturday could find itself level on points with Liverpool at weekend’s end. Everton has won three out of four matches, including a dominant 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea before the break. Brentford has drawn its last three matches, including disappointing deadlocks with lower table wanderers Wolverhampton and Leeds in the Bees’ last two matches. Wolves will have opportunity to spoil someone else’s season when the league’s bottom team visits London Stadium on Friday for a match of incredible importance for West Ham. The cellar dwellers, who have been remarkably improved under Manager Rob Edwards, could well decide the third team to join Wolves and Burnley in the Championship tier next season.
Wolverhampton’s two matches following the visit to West Ham are a trip to Leeds and a Molineux Stadium visit from Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers remain the only one of the three current relegation zone residents with a chance to escape their fate. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has his club just one point below 17th place Tottenham Hotspur and three points below Nottingham Forest. New Spurs Manager Roberto De Zerbi enters the relegation battle royale when he makes his debut on the road at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. The Black Cats, with no relegation worries, have rebounded from a temporary lull in results to win two of their last three Premier League matches.
Nottingham forest, meanwhile, faces a tough matchup with Aston Villa which could put the brakes on what has been a nice new manager bounce, including a 3-0 walloping of Spurs, after Viktor Pereira replaced Sean Dyche in charge of the Tricky Trees some weeks ago. Just a point above Forest and paddling hard to stay above the relegation fray is Leeds United. The Whites face a tough test at Manchester United on Monday seeking their first league victory since an early February win over Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire signed a new one-year contract with the Red Devils this past week, capping what has been a remarkable comeback story for the one-time star who became little more than a squad player before now once again becoming a critical piece at the heart of the Manchester United defense. The third place Red Devils are nearly assured of a Champions League berth with a present seven-point margin on sixth place Chelsea.
Newcastle would have been expected to compete for a Champions League berth before the club was gutted over the summer by the departure of leading scorer Alexander Isak who turned out to have an injury plagued campaign for his new employer in Liverpool. Eddie Howe’s side has not only been unable to replace Isak’s firepower but has also sprung leaks in its defense. Only three teams not currently in the relegation zone have conceded more often than the Magpies. Howe’s side travels to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace which is winding down the tenure of Manager Oliver Glasner after its own disappointing season. Brighton could yet make something of its season as the Seagulls are just three points shy of a possible Europa Conference League slot as Manager Fabian Hurzeler is probably rubbing his hands in glee at the three points available from this week’s tiff at relegation bound Burnley.
