1
City eye security against resurgent Wolves
Six straight wins in a run of seven unbeaten has lifted Wolves to 13th. Now Vítor Pereira’s side pose a problem that Manchester City must solve as the latter chase maximum points from their last four games in the race for Champions League qualification. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in the last eight in all competitions and buoyed up by last Sunday’s reaching of a third successive FA Cup final, so this should be a close one. Keep an eye out for Guardiola potentially having a complimentary word with Matheus Cunha, as is his habit when coming up against a high-class opposition player. Jamie Jackson
2
Villa may need flawless finish
Have Aston Villa left themselves too much to do? A superb five-match Premier League winning run came to a halt against Manchester City before their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley. Within two weeks, they have gone from three competitions to one, so Villa at least will argue they are laser-focused on the remaining four matches. First up is a home tie against Fulham and Villa may need another flawless run to make the top five. Unai Emery exceeded all expectations by leading Villa to the Champions League quarter-finals and a taste of mixing it with Europe’s elite has left them wanting more, even if the club insist it is not paramount for the wider profit and sustainability picture. As the immortal Ron Saunders quote goes, do you want to bet against us? Ben Fisher
3
Fringe Everton players to seize chance?
There might not be much riding on the penultimate game at Goodison Park – and the final 3pm Saturday kick-off in the stadium’s history – but after a testing schedule against five of the current top six David Moyes will need to see evidence of genuine progress against Ipswich. The extra revenue from a higher league finish would not go amiss either. Everton have won once in nine games and it is not only their many out-of-contract players who are playing for their futures under Moyes. Beto’s form has deteriorated since the five goals in five games that lifted Everton’s relegation fears in February. That purple patch looks increasingly like the exception, rather than the norm. Nathan Patterson was handed a rare opportunity to kickstart his injury-hit Everton career at Chelsea last weekend but failed to state his case as a solution for the team’s right-back problem. Both players need to step up, if handed another chance to do so, against depleted and relegated opponents. Andy Hunter
4
Leicester looking for a way to stay positive
Leicester, with no goals and no points from their last nine home games, end what has been a miserable season with matches against the only teams with home records worse than their own, with Southampton’s visit to be followed by that of Ipswich. “We’ve been addressing it for a couple of weeks now,” Ruud van Nistelrooy said. “We want the season to end as positively as possible within the situation of relegation.” Achieving that will involve a complete change of momentum: over the last 19 games, or exactly half a Premier League season, even the Saints’ miserable record has been better than the Foxes’, who have four points, six goals and a goal difference of -40 to Southampton’s six, 14 and -35. Leicester’s morale is at a low ebb: Ricardo Pereira, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Facundo Buonanotte are ruled out of this game, while Mads Hermansen has had surgery on his groin, which will sideline him until August. If you rank all goalkeepers who have played in this year’s Premier League by the number of goals conceded per 90 minutes played, six of the top 11 play for either Leicester or Southampton; in straw-clutching news Jakub Stolarczyk, who will have the gloves for the rest of Leicester’s season, is last on that list. Simon Burnton
5
Arsenal need Ødegaard back on form
The critics have rounded on Martin Ødegaard after his underwhelming performance in the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, with the former Match of the Day pundit and Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson even suggesting that Declan Rice should take over as captain given the Norwegian’s struggles of late. That would be extremely harsh for a player who has led by example for Mikel Arteta’s side over the past few seasons, although Ødegaard’s record of just five goals and 10 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions is a disappointing return. A frustrating ankle injury at the start of the season and the birth of his first child both appear to have affected the former Real Madrid player’s form, with Ethan Nwaneri coming off the bench to replace him at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday as Arsenal chased an equaliser. The visit of Bournemouth to north London is an opportunity for Ødegaard to rebuild his confidence ahead of the second leg in Paris next week that will determine his side’s destiny. Ed Aarons
6
United’s youngsters may have to wait
Given that the first time Manchester United played Brentford this season they had won one of their previous six league games (and that against Southampton), had half an eye on a Europa League fixture a few days away and still prevailed, Thomas Frank’s side are unlikely to get carried away with the fact that United go into this one having won one of their previous seven league games (and that against Leicester) and with Europe on their minds. Even if United are almost entirely focused on making sure they don’t fumble victory over Athletic Bilbao in next Thursday’s semi-final second leg, the unexpectedly emphatic 3-0 win in the first meeting at San Mamés might have changed Ruben Amorim’s thinking about this match. Clearly he had been planning to field a few fringe and youth players, bringing both the 17-year-old forward Chido Obi and the 19-year-old midfielder Sékou Koné to Spain despite both being ineligible to play in Europe, just so they could take part in Friday morning’s training session before joining the squad on their trip to London. Jaydan Kamason, an 18-year-old right-back, and the 17-year-old winger Bendito Mantato were both unused substitutes in Bilbao and could make their senior debuts this weekend. But given that progress in Europe looks more comfortable than expected Amorim could now choose to field a stronger and more senior side against Brentford, who are unbeaten in four and have a chance of securing European football next season. SB
7
Hürzeler has options in defence once more
Things are suddenly looking much rosier for Fabian Hürzeler after Brighton finally snapped their winless run thanks to Carlos Baleba’s late winner against West Ham last week. The Cameroon midfielder looks set to return to his usual position for the visit of Newcastle on Sunday having deputised in central defence in recent matches as Brighton welcome back Jan Paul van Hecke from the nasty head injury he sustained in the defeat against Brentford. “Jan Paul is ready to start,” said Hürzeler. “After training he immediately came to me and said he wants to play.” Joël Veltman is also back while Adam Webster has an outside chance of making the match squad to ease Brighton’s defensive crisis. With Georginio Rutter, the club’s record signing, in contention to return against Wolves next week, Brighton will hope that they can build some momentum towards European qualification by recording another home victory. EA
8
Potter already under West Ham spotlight
Graham Potter looked as if he had reached the end of his tether after West Ham’s collapse against Brighton. He refused to talk about the positives, focusing instead on the weaknesses that let his side go from 2-1 up with seven minutes left to 3-2 down by full time. It was a manager who had clearly made up his mind on some of his players. A clearout is on the way: West Ham have to reorganise after a dreadful campaign. But Potter is also under the spotlight. He has taken 13 points since replacing Julen Lopetegui in January and is yet to put on a memorable performance in a home game. West Ham have won twice at home under Potter and could do with a rousing display when Tottenham turn up at the London Stadium with what will presumably be their B team. A derby triumph would earn the former Chelsea manager some goodwill from a disgruntled fanbase. Jacob Steinberg
9
Lavia will want impact against champions
Chelsea are more fluid when Roméo Lavia is fit. The Belgian is press-resistant, savvy on the ball and positionally disciplined. He is the kind of player who improves those around him and, assuming that he does not have yet another injury setback, is likely to keep his place when Chelsea host Liverpool. Enzo Maresca values Lavia highly and was delighted to have him available to start in last weekend’s win over Everton. It meant moving Moisés Caicedo to right-back and having the Ecuadorian drift into midfield when Chelsea had possession. The ploy worked well and could continue against the champions. However, Liverpool may fancy their chances if Luis Díaz can expose Caicedo, who is not a natural defender. JS
10
Palace hopeful for double delight
Crystal Palace’s players returned to training on Thursday having enjoyed a four-day break after their FA Cup semi-final exploits and Oliver Glasner will be looking for renewed focus as they prepare to face Nottingham Forest on Monday. Draws against Bournemouth and Arsenal in their last two Premier League matches mean they still have an outside chance of finishing in the top eight, which could be enough to secure a place in Europe next season even if they lose to Manchester City at Wembley. Six points separate them from Fulham in eighth, with a trip to Tottenham up next before the final. “We’ve got an outside chance of stealing a place [in Europe] in the league,” said the Palace chair, Steve Parish. “And we’ve got this opportunity to win a final and get a trophy. If we do that, a lot of good things follow. What an end to the season, for Crystal Palace to be involved in so many things.” EA