The penultimate round of the season, taking place this weekend, will see a happy ending to Leicester's fairytale as they lift the trophy at the King Power Stadium.
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| Norwich – Man Utd (6:45 p.m. Saturday, May 7): After losing 1-2 to Norwich in the first leg, Louis Van Gaal and his team are eager to take revenge and earn three points to keep their hopes of finishing in the top four alive. Man Utd are four points behind Man City, but have played one game less. This round, their rivals will host Arsenal, so the "Red Devils" need a win to put pressure on and hope their opponents will stumble. Man Utd are on a five-match unbeaten streak, including a dramatic win over Everton in the FA Cup semi-finals. However, visiting Carrow Road at this time is not easy. Three consecutive defeats have left the home team in 19th place, two points behind the safe zone of Newcastle, but with one game less. Coach Alex Neil knows that the match against Man Utd will be the key match to help him change the situation. Norwich and Man Utd will both play in the middle of next week in a series of make-up matches. The home team will meet Watford in the early morning of May 12, while Man Utd will meet West Ham in the early morning of May 11. |
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| Bournemouth – West Brom (9pm Saturday, May 7): Both home and away teams have 41 points, sharing 15th and 14th place. The highest position the two teams can reach is 11th. Last season, the bonus gap between 11th and 16th place was $8.7 million, half the price of a decent striker in the Premier League. This could be an incentive for mid-table teams to strive. Improve their position to earn a little more bonus money, before entering the summer holidays. Bournemouth's goal is to stay in the league and they have done it. But for West Brom, this is a rather strange season for them. The away team has not won any of the last seven matches and to please the fans, coach Tony Pulis and his team must play focused in the remaining two matches. |
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| Aston Villa – Newcastle (9pm Saturday, May 7): The tables have turned, in May 2009, Aston Villa pushed Newcastle down with a 1-0 victory. But this time, the Villa Park team is the underdog. Villa has been relegated. They are the first team and there is no next name. The relegation battle between the three teams Norwich, Sunderland and Newcastle is very exciting. The "Magpies" hold 17th place, one point ahead of Sunderland and two points ahead of Norwich. A victory over Villa will help them consolidate their advantage when Norwich meets Man Utd, while Sunderland must meet Chelsea in this round. Seven years ago, Villa were happy, rubbing salt into Newcastle's pain. Now, the Tyneside team will have the opportunity to do the same to their opponents. They will be even happier when pushing Villa deeper into the biggest quagmire of this team in decades. The 2-3 defeat to Watford in the previous round brought Villa to 11 defeats, equaling the sad record they set from March to May 1963. If they lose again, Villa's 2015-2016 season will go down in history in a way they do not want. |
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| Crystal Palace vs Stoke (9pm Saturday, May 7): Palace are in the top three of the relegation battle, six points clear of Newcastle. The only thing on Alan Pardew's mind at the moment is the FA Cup final against Man Utd on May 21, although in theory they could still be relegated as they are only seven points ahead of Sunderland having played one game more. In the first leg, Palace beat Stoke 2-1, but the home team should remember that since that match on December 19 last year, they have only won one more game, against Norwich on April 9. Palace's form in the Premier League is in contrast to their FA Cup form. If it weren't for their impressive start to the season, Alan Pardew's side could have paid the price. Stoke are similarly poor, ending the season without a win in their last six games. Overall, Stoke have had a pretty successful season, with them aiming for European qualification and the highest points tally in the club’s history. However, Mark Hughes still has a lot to do to maintain the stability of this team. |
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| Sunderland - Chelsea (9pm Saturday, May 7): Chelsea no longer have the motivation to compete, so playing against Sunderland, it will be difficult for them to be as enthusiastic as when they met Tottenham last week. That could be an opportunity for the "Black Cats" to earn points. Three points are very important for Sam Allardyce's team at the moment, helping them gain an advantage in the three-way match with Newcastle and Norwich. Sunderland is one point behind Newcastle, but has played one match less. In fact, since Sam Allardyce arrived at The Light, the "Black Cats" have played well when facing big teams, especially at home. For Chelsea, the 2-2 draw with Tottenham is probably their last moment of glory this season. Seven points behind Liverpool in eighth place, the away team is unlikely to threaten their opponents and must settle for ninth place. In addition, Chelsea's squad has many stars who are looking forward to Euro 2016. They will play to hold on so as not to fall into the pitiful situation like Michael Ballack in 2010. |
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| West Ham – Swansea (9pm Saturday, May 7): Both Manchester teams have gone through difficult matches this round. That is the premise for West Ham to strive. They are one point behind Man Utd and will meet Van Gaal's team in the make-up match in the early morning of May 11. West Ham are five points behind Man City, but have played one less match. They still have a chance to create a miracle and break into the top four. Swansea played excellently in the 3-1 victory over Liverpool in the previous round, in contrast to what they showed in the 0-4 loss to Leicester a week earlier. But Slaven Bilic's team (left) also do not need a mental boost before the match. West Ham have done very well in the second leg of the season. This match and the make-up match against Man Utd are the last two matches they will play at Upton Park before moving to the Olympic Stadium next season. Therefore, West Ham will play their best to say goodbye to the stadium that has been with them since 1904. |
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| Leicester vs Everton (11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7): After a week of lavish parties and celebrations, this match will be the official opportunity for the new champions to make their debut. Since being officially crowned, Leicester players' social media accounts have been filled with pictures of parties and celebrations. Claudio Ranieri's players will certainly be physically affected by that. However, no one can stop Leicester all season, so there is no reason for them to let 30,000 spectators taste defeat in their final home match. There will be more than one photo taken from this match, but the paparazzi are waiting for a moment. That is when Wes Morgan (third from right) lifts the English Football Championship Cup for the first time for Leicester, a team that before the season, the odds of them winning the championship were only 1/5,000. For Roberto Martinez, winning all three of his final games of the season is what he desperately needs to save his job. But will Everton be able to spoil the party and hand Leicester their fourth defeat of the season? |
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| Tottenham vs Southampton (19:30 Sunday, May 8): Despite losing to Leicester in the title race, Tottenham need to remember that Arsenal are behind. It has been 21 years since the last time the "Rooster" finished the season higher than their North London rivals. The two recent draws with West Brom and Chelsea have slowed Tottenham down. The gap between them and Arsenal is now only three points. Leading Chelsea 2-0 after the first half but still being held to a draw by their opponents, the spirit of Tottenham players is very bad. Mauricio Pochettino will face the difficult task of reviving his players' enthusiasm. Southampton is a strong team and is no stranger to defeating opponents who are rated higher. This confrontation with Pochettino's old team is predicted to be difficult. In the last two matches, Southampton scored eight goals and in the previous round, they defeated Man City 4-2. Tottenham will likely lose Mousa Dembele due to a ban. Previously, Dele Alli was also suspended for the rest of the season. Former Southampton player, defender Toby Alderweireld, is also likely to miss the match due to a knee injury sustained against Chelsea. |
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| Man City – Arsenal (10pm Sunday, May 8): This weekend’s clash between two rivals with a lot of history will directly affect the race for the top four. Although Man City are in control against the threat of Man Utd or West Ham, in theory, they can still be pushed down in the last two rounds. Returning from the defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals, keeping a place in the Champions League is the only goal for Man City at the moment. But the fate of the Etihad Stadium team next season depends on the attitude of Manuel Pellegrini (photo). The Chilean coach was pushed out by Man City to make room for Pep Guardiola. Will Pellegrini still maintain the demeanor of a “Charming man” as the fans nicknamed him, or will he ignore it, leaving Guardiola a mess? |
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| Don't expect City's players to be in high spirits at the moment, with many of them having their minds elsewhere since Guardiola's arrival next season. Even at home, City can be lethargic, as they were in a 4-2 defeat to Southampton last week. Arsenal are a team that usually do well at the end of the season. Arsene Wenger's side are on an eight-game unbeaten run and home fans will remember their convincing performance in a 2-0 win at the Etihad last season. Arsenal are also looking to dethrone Tottenham and take second place from their rivals, so this will be a tough game for City, who need the points more. |
According to VNE
