The race for the top four Premier League spots this season has the potential to go down to the wire as six clubs battle it out for the remaining European spots.
We are now well into April, which means the end of the business year is fast approaching and the race for Champions League places is heating up.
Arsenal are desperate to return to the Champions League
With Manchester City and Liverpool clearly on top, there are six more teams in contention for the final two Champions League places plus Europa League places, with some massive draws to come.
Most of the teams involved only have seven or eight games left, but due to Covid cancellations, a couple have nine.
Here talkSPORT takes a look at the battle between the Premier League’s top four as we approach the end of the campaign…
– What the battle of the top four looks like
Chelsea – 3°
GETTY
– Thomas Tuchel will seek to seal third place
Chelsea have been in the top four all season but after a 4-1 loss to Brentford at the weekend they are now just five points out of fifth.
Therefore, their place in the top four is not yet assured and they will need a few more results from their last nine league games.
Thomas Tuchel’s side began the campaign as true title contenders, but four wins in 11 saw them fall far behind City and Liverpool.
From there, it looked as if the Blues would comfortably seal third place, but after strong results from Tottenham and Arsenal in recent weeks, that doesn’t seem guaranteed.
Chelsea have had to deal with some off-the-pitch carnage this season, which would likely mean the Blues will limit their spending this summer and if they miss out on the Champions League, who knows what could happen to the club without that income. ?
In their remaining games, Chelsea take on Arsenal, West Ham, Wolves and Manchester United. If they manage to win all of these or at least not lose, they should do enough to secure their place in the top four.
But a season that promised so much looks set to end in slight disappointment.
Predicted Finish – 3rd
Chelsea remaining matches
Southampton – A – 9 de abril
Arsenal – H – April 20
West Ham – H – April 24
Everton-A-May 1
Wolves – H – May 8
Leeds United–A–May 11
Manchester United – A – May 15
Leicester City – H – May 19
Watford–H–May 22
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Tottenham – 4to
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– Antonio Conte’s work is paying off for Spurs
Tottenham have had a very strange season but seem to be in top form at the right time.
Spurs began the campaign with Nuno Espirito Santo in charge, but after winning his first three league games things quickly went awry and he was sacked well before Christmas.
Antonio Conte arrived as his replacement, and after a solid start in which Tottenham went unbeaten in the league for nine games, they lost four of the next five, including a 1–0 loss to Burnley.
Things weren’t looking too good, but on the day of the transfer deadline, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur arrived from Juventus and helped turn the season around.
Spurs have scored 21 goals in their last six league games and won five of them, so Conte has worked his magic.
If we look at their remaining games, we can see that they still have Liverpool and Arsenal to play.
The game against the Gunners could decide who gets the last place in the Champions League, but Spurs could have it all figured out by then anyway.
Predicted Finish – 4th
Tottenham’s Remaining Parties
Aston Villa-A-April 9
Brighton–H–April 16
Brentford – A – 23 de abril
Leicester City – H – 30 de abril
Liverpool – A – May 7
Arsenal – H – May 12
Burnley–H–May 15
Norwich City–A–May 22
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Arsenal – 5º
AFP
– Mikel Arteta faces a battle to put Arsenal in the top four
Arsenal turned him around after a nightmarish start that saw him bottom of the table after three defeats.
Since then the Gunners have only lost seven games in the Premier League and are in the running for the top four.
The North Londoners have not played in the Champions League since the 2016/17 campaign, and Mikel Arteta has relied on many talented young players.
This group of players has been brilliant for the Gunners, but they were brought back to earth with a clash against Crystal Palace last time out.
The Eagles defeated Arsenal 3-0 at Selhurst Park and it was a huge blow to the Gunners’ Champions League ambitions.
The Gunners still have some big games to play against Chelsea, Man United, West Ham and Tottenham so this loss to Palace could prove very damaging.
Predicted Finish – 5th
Arsenal’s last matches
Brighton–H–April 9
Southampton – A – 16 de abril
Chelsea–A–April 20
Manchester United – H – 23 de abril
West Ham–A–May 1
Leeds United – H – 8 de mayo
Tottenham – A – 12 May
Newcastle United – A – 15 de mayo
Everton – H – May 22
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West Ham – 6to
AFP
– David Moyes has kept West Ham close to the top all season
West Ham have not been out of the top ten this season and have gone as high as third on a few occasions.
This is very impressive given that David Moyes has a small team to work with and has a first-team striker in Michail Antonio.
The Hammers are also deep in the Europa League, so the fact that they have held up to Arsenal and Tottenham is impressive, and they should end up in a Europa League spot no matter what.
This season the Irons have beaten Liverpool and Chelsea but the top four could be out of their league.
However, given that he is in the Europa League quarter-finals, he would have to be made one of the favorites for that competition, so he could end up in the Champions League anyway.
West Ham still have to play Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City, so if you take a few points off them, the top four still stand.
Predicted Finish – 6th
West Ham remaining games
Brentford – A – 10 de abril
Burnley–H–April 17
Chelsea–A–April 24
Arsenal – H – May 1
Norwich City – A – May 7
Manchester City – H – May 15
Brighton–A–May 22
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Manchester United – 7mo
AFP
– Ralf Rangnick has had trouble getting a tune out of this Red Devils team
Man United have had a season to forget: they are out of all cup competitions and it seems unlikely that they will secure a place in the top four.
The season started with a lot of optimism after the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. However, things quickly went awry and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked at the start of the campaign.
The Red Devils then hired Ralf Rangnick through the end of the year as interim manager, but he’s never played that role before and has struggled to get a tune out of this team.
The German has only lost two of his 15 league games in charge, but five draws in that time have cost the Red Devils valuable points, and it looks increasingly likely that they will not finish in the top four.
The Red Devils have yet to play Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in their last eight games, so it’s hard to see where they’ll pick up points.
This campaign has the potential to end terribly for the most famous club in the world.
Predicted Finish – 8th
Manchester United remaining games
Chelsea – H – TBC
Everton-A-April 9
Norwich City – H – 16 de abril
Liverpool–A–April 19
Arsenal – A – April 23
Brentford – H – 2 de mayo
Brighton–A–May 7
Crystal Palace – A – May 22
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Wolves – 8th
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– Bruno Lage has had a brilliant first season in the Premier League
Wolves moved on from Nuno Espirito Santo last summer and took a risk by appointing Bruno Lage, but he has made a huge impact.
Some predicted Old Gold would be relegated, but the former Benfica manager has put them in excellent position for the final seven games of the 2021/22 campaign.
Wolves have flown under the radar but have only conceded 27 goals in 31 games, giving them the fourth best defense in the league behind the top three.
Their problem has been the other extreme, as they have only scored 33 goals as a team, which could be what costs them a place in the top four or even the top six.
In their remaining games they have to play Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool, so they could play a part in deciding where the title ends up, but it’s hard to see them getting enough points to challenge Tottenham and Arsenal.
Predicted finish – 7th
Wolves remaining matches
Manchester City – H – To be confirmed
Newcastle United – A – 8 de abril
Burnley–A–April 24
Brighton–H–April 30
Chelsea–A–May 7
Norwich City – H – 15 de mayo
Liverpool–A–May 22
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