By Stephen Oladehinde
The Premier League’s final matchday is expected to be a battleground for UEFA Champions League qualification next season.
Arsenal’s spot in Europe’s premier competition was confirmed after the Gunners’ 1-0 victory over Newcastle at the Emirates, leaving three spots in contention.
With just two points separating third and sixth, the events of this concluding matchday will go down to the wire.
Let’s look ahead at the race for Champions League qualification.
Fulham vs Manchester City
Manchester City’s chances of qualification depend heavily on the outcome of their final game against Fulham.
Heading into the game, Manchester City hold the record for the longest win streak against a single English league opponent, having won their last 17 matches against Fulham across all competitions.
They have typically secured victory in final Premier League matchdays, having done so in nine of the past 11 seasons.
Fulham, therefore, have a poor record against Manchester City in Premier League encounters, failing to win in their last 19 matches. Their losing streak against City currently stands at 14 games.
Fulham have a poor Premier League home record against Pep’s men, winning only once in 16 encounters.
Prediction: 1-2
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea
Chelsea have only one hope of getting Champions League football next season and it may come at the expense of UCL-chasing Nottingham Forest.
The Blues will face a daunting task against Forest, but they have a decent record against them.
Chelsea have not won any of their last three final Premier League matchday games, when playing away from home.
Furthermore, in their last seven Premier League matches against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest have only secured one victory, which occurred in a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September 2023.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester United vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa will need a win against Man United, who are coming off a loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
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The Villains have secured eight points in their most recent seven Premier League matches against Manchester United.
Villa’s away record in final league games of the season is poor, with only one win in the last 26 such matches.
Manchester United boasts a Premier League record of 40 victories against Aston Villa, second only to their 42 wins against Everton.
The Red Devils also hold the record for the second-most final Premier League game wins (22), exceeded only by Arsenal (23).
Manchester United are set to conclude their Premier League season without achieving consecutive wins, a feat that has occurred only twice before in the club’s history.
This marks the third instance of such a winless streak across an entire league campaign for the Red Devils.
Prediction: 1-2
Newcastle vs Everton
Heading into this clash, Newcastle are currently undefeated in their last four home games against Everton, winning three and drawing one.
Over the last 10 seasons, Newcastle have won their final league match eight times, only drawing and losing once.
Additionally, Everton have recorded more clean sheets against West Ham (23) and Liverpool (21) than against Newcastle (18).
Contrastingly, in their last eight Premier League season finales, Everton have a poor record, winning only once, drawing once and losing six times.
Prediction: 3-1
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace
In their final home game of the season, after already basking in Premier League glory, Liverpool aim to secure a victory when they host Crystal Palace.
Despite winning 12 and drawing two of their last 15 Premier League matches against Crystal Palace, Liverpool lost this exact fixture last season.
Liverpool have not lost their final league game of the season since 2014/2015. Their home record in season-closing fixtures is even stronger – unbeaten in 17 games.
Premier League champions typically win their final home game of the season, having done so in 13 of the last 14 instances.
On the other hand, Crystal Palace have registered their last four Premier League victories against Liverpool at Anfield.
However, they have a poor away record in end-of-season fixtures, winning only once in 12 such games.
Prediction: 3-1
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SportJustSport writers