English Premier League title and relegation may be settled but this weekend's focus is primarily on the race to qualify for European football next season and we take a look at selected matches including Chelsea v Liverpool
Prices from Sportingbet and others are correct at the time of publication but subject to change.
Aston Villa 15/20 Draw 29/10 Fulham 33/10 (Saturday)
After their 3-0 defeat to Palace in last weekend's FA Cup semi final Villa's sole focus is now on qualifying for the UCL next season by grabbing 1 of 5 guaranteed places for English clubs. A run of 5 straight league wins was halted with a 2-1 defeat at Man City which saw Villa slip to seventh but only 3 points off the two teams above them, Forest and Chelsea.
Fulham are 8th in the scrum looking for Europa League / Conference League qualification. They have won 5 and lost 5 of their last 10 league outings and earlier in the season they went down 3-1 at home to Villa.
The Verdict
Villa were below par in the FA Cup semi but their most recent home win against Newcatle was superb. Fulham won't make life easy but I see a home win and both sides scoring.
Bet: Aston Villa to win and both teams to score? (yes) boosted to 26/10 with Sportingbet
Arsenal 23/20 Draw 5/2 Bournemouth 9/4 (Saturday)
Arsenal's 1-0 home defeat to PSG in the first leg of their UCL semi final at home to PSG leaves them with a mountain to climb in the return in Paris in midweek. As far as the EPL is concerned they remain in second spot, 5 points clear of third placed Newcastle with 4 rounds of matches to go. The Gunners have dropped points in recent home games with draws against Brentford and Palace.
Bournemouth are 10th and in the mix to qualify for Europa / Conference League action next season. They have won 1 and drawn 3 of their last 4 league games, most recently pegged back by a late Man United equalizer in a home fixture.
The Verdict
Bournemouth beat Arsenal 2-0 earlier in the season and will be a handful and the Gunners trip to Paris is surely a big factor in the match result quotes so this looks tricky to me. Semenyo popped up any time for us last week and I'll stick with him here.
Bet: Anytime goalscorer Semenyo at 3.75/1 with Sportingbet
Brentford 0.63/1 Draw 31/10 Man United 4/1 (Sunday)
Brentford are 10 points better off than their opponents here after a fine 2-0 win at Forest on Thursday. They remain in mid table but are still contenders to sneak into a Europa League spot on the back of 2 wins and 2 draws in their last 4.
United came away from Bilbao with a 3-0 advantage in their Europa League semi final first leg on Thursday and barring a disaster they look set to contest the final and the chance to qualify for the UCL next season. League form shows 2 draws and 3 defeats in the last 5 and a league position of 14th.
The Verdict
The United team sheet will be interesting although whether they opt for wholesale changes with the Bilbao second leg in mind is unclear to me. I'll take a chance on Brentford being awarded 7 corners or more.
Bet: Brentford total corners over 6.5 at 5/4 with Sportingbet
Brighton 1.85/1 Draw 27/10 Newcastle 13/10 (Sunday)
Brighton are 9th and another contender for Europa qualification. They have already won at Newcastle in the league and knocked them out of the FA Cup at St. James Park this season and after going 5 league games without a win they beat West Ham 3-2 in their most recent home game.
Newcastle have won 6 of their last 7 league games to rise to third spot although it remains tight with only 4 points separating them from seventh placed Villa.
The Verdict
Big incentives for both sides and another tricky call but I'm thinking away win with btts yes.
Bet: Newcastle to win and both teams to score? Yes boosted to 3/1 with Sportingbet
Chelsea 23/20 Draw 26/10 Liverpool 21/10 (Sunday)
Chelsea are set for a Conference League final after a 4-1 win away from home in the first leg of their semi final match up with Djurgarden. League form shows 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 and whilst it hasn't always looked convincing they finished the previous round in 5th spot.
Liverpool were officially crowned Champions after last week's 5-1 demotion of Spurs at Anfield. Their 2-1 home win against Chelsea in October is one of 25 league wins this season and with the trophy in the cabinet it will be interesting to see how they handle their 4 remaining matches.
The Verdict
In my book this is a nightmare to predict in terms of the result. Chelsea have the incentive but Liverpool have been ultra professional all season. Under 2.5 goals is a tentative call.
Bet: Total goals under 2.5 at 13/10 with Sportingbet
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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