The final day of the Premier League season will decide who goes down to the Championship along with Norwich City and Watford, which teams will join Manchester City and Liverpool in the Champions League next season and which European competitions Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham United are competing in next season.
However, there is no doubt that the huge battle will come at the Etihad, where Manchester City need just a victory over Aston Villa to confirm their fourth Premier League title in five years.
That said, if City slip up and can only draw or lose the game, then Liverpool could step in and take the title for the second time in three years, if they can beat Wolves at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
It promises to be yet another exciting final day decider in the Premier League, and there have been plenty of those over the years, and we could yet end up with an ending every bit as dramatic as the one back in 2011, when Sergio Aguero’s injury time winner over QPR handed City their first Premier League title, pipping Manchester United to the crown.
With betting on both these games set to be huge, bet365 Sport is offering a great selection of pre-game and In Play betting on all the games of the Premier League final week of the season, but there is no doubt that the Manchester City and Liverpool games will attract most attention.
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Let’s now take a closer look at the full set of fixtures this weekend, before we focus in on the games at the Etihad and at Anfield.
Premier League Matchday 38 Fixtures
All matches kick off at 4pm on Sunday 22nd May.
- Arsenal v Everton
- Brentford v Leeds United
- Brighton v West Ham United
- Burnley v Newcastle United
- Chelsea v Watford
- Crystal Palace v Manchester United
- Leicester City v Southampton
- Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City v Aston Villa
- Norwich City v Tottenham Hotspur
The Title Deciders
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Pep Guardiola heads into the final game of the season knowing a victory will assure Manchester City of yet another Premier League title and that they will, once again, pip their great rivals Liverpool to the trophy.
However, there is pressure on City. So far this season, Pep’s team have fallen short in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and are also out of the Champions League. Liverpool have won both the former and face Real Madrid in the final of the latter next weekend.
So this game is Pep’s last chance for City to end up with silverware this season and he will take solace from City’s exceptional record over Aston Villa in recent times.
In the last dozen games between the two teams, City have won 11 and drawn the other. Villa have not picked up a point of any sort away to Manchester City since 2007. It is fair to say that City’s dominance in this fixture has been overwhelming for the last 15 years or so.
Yet, there are some question marks remaining here. Aston Villa are managed by former Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who knows if he can stop City winning here, then Villa could give his former club a chance to win the title.
Villa also count upon Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho, two former Liverpool stars, as focal points for their team and lets not forget, Villa did beat Liverpool 7-2 at Villa Park last season when the Reds were pretty much at full-strength.
City also have defensive issues to concern themselves with. Kyle Walker, John Stones and Ruben Dias could all be out, as could Nathan Ake, which may see Fernandinho slot into central defence alongside Laporte and against West Ham, the Hammers created plenty of opportunities against the makeshift City back line.
The bookmakers do not rate Villa’s chances here. With bet365 Sport Villa are 18/1 to win the game and it is 13/2 for the draw, Manchester City are overwhelming 1/7 favourites to land the win that they need. And those odds have been lengthening on Villa and the Draw and shortening on a Man City win throughout the week.
Clearly, there’s been plenty of money on City landing the victory they need but if they don’t, what do Liverpool need to do to claim the title?
Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
If Manchester City slip up by drawing or losing at home to Aston Villa, then it is crystal clear when Jurgen Klopp’s team must do. They have to win regardless to give themselves any chance of winning the league.
That’s because City’s goal difference is now six better than Liverpool, which means even if City lost and Liverpool drew, the Reds would need City to lose by seven goals in order to overtake their rivals on goal difference.
In a way, that makes Liverpool’s approach very simple. They have to win and against a Wolves side that have lost three of their last five and drawn the other two games, they should be pretty confident of doing that.
However, Wolves have caused a few surprise results over the years and won at Anfield in the FA Cup a couple of years back, so the Reds cannot take this game for granted.
That is especially the case when you consider that Klopp may be without talismanic players Virgil van Dijk and Mohammed Salah, who both picked up slight knocks in the FA Cup Final, but who may well be rested to ensure that they are fit for the Champions League final next weekend.
Given that Liverpool’s effective second-string team produced a fine performance in beating Southampton 2-1 away from home on Tuesday night, I can see Klopp picking a similar team here. One good enough to win the game for sure, but one that also gives a rest to key players who he will want for the Champions League final.
So can the Reds perform the miracle and keep their quadruple hopes alive? The odds seem to suggest City will win it comfortably, but in the crazy world of Premier League football who knows?
