LONDON: Six Premier League teams separated by six points are battling it out for the four remaining Champions League spots with two rounds of matches left and no team can rest easy, although they have all secured European football for next season.

Champions Liverpool are on a victory lap with nothing left to play for while the bottom three have all been relegated, leaving just the race for Europe’s premier club competition to be wrapped up as a gruelling season draws to a close.

Arsenal, long seen as title contenders before their challenge faded away amid a Champions League run, are no longer assured of second place but Mikel Arteta’s side still control their destiny ahead of Newcastle United’s visit on Sunday.

Newcastle are up to third and sit two points behind Arsenal, with Eddie Howe’s side tantalisingly close to finishing second in the Premier League for the first time in 28 years.

The North-East side have shown a hunger to return to the Champions League, evidenced by their recent run of seven wins in nine games to move up from sixth place.

Only Liverpool have taken more points in the last 20 games while Newcastle also ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy when they won the League Cup.

“We’re on the road to what we want to do this season, but there’s still a lot of work to do and two tough fixtures to play,” Howe said. “The size of the prize is huge, the players are aware of that. There was a worry when we won the trophy [League Cup] that there would be a negative consequence of that, but I think it actually gave us confidence.”

Arteta, meanwhile, has seen his Arsenal team share the spoils in 14 draws this season, while injuries and the suspension of Mikel Merino will force him to rejig a side who have won only one of their last six games.

Forward Kai Havertz has returned to training early after the club feared his season was over due to a hamstring surgery, but whether he is ready to play a part remains to be seen.

“I have full trust in all my players and we have full clarity in what we want to do,” Arteta said. “It will be a tough game and we want to secure the Champions League and the second spot as well. “If you cannot be the best, then you have to be the best of the rest. That is very important.”

Manchester City, currently fourth in the Premier League, are playing in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace this weekend and may find themselves outside the top five before they host Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Despite their surprise 0-0 draw at Southampton last time out, Pep Guardiola’s men remain likely to finish in the top five.

“I didn’t expect differently from a month ago, that it’s a fight until the end,” said Guardiola, whose team failed to make it five Premier League titles in a row.

Aston Villa and Chelsea have a chance to steal a march on their top-five rivals, with both in action on Friday, against Europa League finalists Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Sixth-placed Villa, who have maintained fine form in the league despite Champions League and FA Cup exits in recent weeks, could finish the day in fourth place with a win at home to Spurs.

But Chelsea, who also have 63 points, would move just behind Newcastle if they win, thanks to a better goal difference.

United and Spurs sit just outside the relegation zone after terrible league campaigns and their attention will be fixed on next week’s Europa League final in Bilbao, with their managers likely to keep some players wrapped in cotton wool.

Villa’s gritty 1-0 win at Bournemouth at the weekend secured a place in European competition but manager Unai Emery’s appetite for the Champions League has been whetted by a run to the quarter-finals this season.

“The first objective is to try and play in Europe again and we are feeling comfortable with the pressure we are setting ourselves,” Emery said.

UEFA Conference League finalists Chelsea could end Enzo Maresca’s first season on a high with European silverware and a return to the Champions League after two seasons away.

But Maresca has no striker available with Nicolas Jackson suspended and Christopher Nkunku still sidelined with an injury as they look to retain their spot in the top five.

“We have been there all season and we are now there, for sure it can be a disappointment [if we do not qualify],” Maresca said.

Two-time European champions Nottingham Forest have been in the top four for most of the season but have stumbled at the worst possible moment and are now outsiders to secure Champions League football.

Sunday’s damaging 2-2 draw with relegated Leicester City was another huge blow to their hopes of returning to the competition for the first time in more than four decades.

Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo is not giving up hope as he takes his team to lowly West Ham United on Sunday, with Chelsea to follow in the final game of the season.

“Let’s see how it goes,” said the Portuguese manager, whose team have secured European football for next season. “We have to focus on West Ham.... I promise you we are going to give it a go and we will never give up.”

The penultimate weekend also sees Everton looking to give Goodison Park, their home for 133 years, a fitting farewell when they host already-relegated Southampton in their 2,789th and final game at ‘The Grand Old Lady’.

“The game is almost playing second-fiddle and that’s nice,” Everton captain Phil Jagielka said. “Because a few seasons ago we would have been going into a game at this point of the season needing points [to avoid relegation].”

Leicester will bid their talismanic striker Jamie Vardy a fond farewell when the 38-year-old plays his 500th game for the club in his last appearance at King Power Stadium.

Fixtures (all times GMT):

Friday: Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (1830), Chelsea v Manchester United (1915).

Sunday (1400 GMT unless stated): Everton v Southampton (1100), West Ham United v Nottingham Forest (1315), Brentford v Fulham, Leicester City v Ipswich Town, Arsenal v Newcastle United (1530).

Monday: Brighton & Hove Albion v Liverpool (1900).

Tuesday (both 1900 GMT): Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City v Bournemouth.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2025