Premier League week 37 preview: Relegation dogfights heat up

 

As the season glides to a close, the battle to avoid relegation also heats up when Stoke welcome Crystal Palace to the Britannia Stadium. The Potters have a mountain to climb as they are three points from safety with a game more than their rivals. Palace’s place in the league next season looks secure as they are five points clear of the drop. Wilfried Zaha has been a star performer all season for the Eagles, and he will now look to add to his goal tally.

Bottom of the log West Brom take on Tottenham at the Hawthorns. They may look set for relegation but they have been a new team under new boss Darren Moore, winning eight points from four games including a surprise 1 – 0 win over Man Utd at Old Trafford. It looks too late though as they need to win their final two games and hope Swansea, Southampton and Stoke lose all their games. Spurs are five points clear of fifth placed Chelsea and just a point behind Liverpool who have played a game more. A third placed finish will be a fine way for Pochettino’s men to finish the season.

It’s going to be a do-or-die battle for Southampton when they travel to take on Everton at Goodison Park. The Saints are 18th on the log, a point behind fellow strugglers Swansea. From all indications, one of both teams will go down, and Mark Hughes will be desperate to make sure it’s not his side.

Everton seem set for a top ten finish after bouncing back from a dreadful start to the season. They have an outside chance of picking up a Europa League slot, though that depends on how Burnley end the season.

With three defeats on the bounce and 11 goals conceded, Leicester will look to return to winning ways when they host West Ham at the King Power Stadium.

Swansea will travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth. The Swans are a point above Southampton who are in the relegation zone and need to win to avoid pressure from the Saints.

Watford and Newcastle will face off at Vicarage Road knowing they are safe from the drop.

Tomorrow, Chelsea and Liverpool take center stage at Stamford Bridge. The Blues look set to finish outside the top four yet again as they are five points behind Tottenham who are in fourth position.

Liverpool on the other hand survived an embarrassing Champions League exit after losing 4-2 to Roma in Italy. They progressed 7-6 on aggregate and can now focus on ending the season on the high. Should Mohammed Salah score here he will become the player with the most goals in a single League campaign, beating the record of 31 goals set by Alan Shearer, Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Arsenal will tackle Burnley at the Emirates Stadium. Both sides are neck and neck in the race for the Europa League places, with just three points separating them, although the Gunners have a game in hand. Burnley are enjoying a resounding season under Sean Dyche, but they will still have memories of their painful loss at Turf Moor earlier in the season with former Gunner Alexis Sanchez snatching the only goal of the game in the 97th minute. Can the Clarets now strike back?

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