Before we prepare ourselves for the other competitions, this is the last gameweek of the Premier League. It is going to kick off with Manchester United’s trip to the Stadium of Light and the curtains will be drawn after an enthralling fixture between Manchester City and Tottenham. The five main talking points before gameweek 26 are discussed below.
A must win game for Manchester United:
Louis Van Gaal’s men are going to kick off gameweek 26 against Sunderland. They have to win this game should they want to secure a Champions League berth at the end of the season. The equations are pretty simple. Manchester United are currently six points behind fourth placed Manchester City and twelve points behind the league leaders Leicester City. With fourteen games to go, it seems quite impossible to leapfrog the Foxes.
On the other hand, United still have to play against all other teams in the top six, three of them being away games. Naturally, a slip-up against weaker teams would cost them heavily at this moment. All eyes will be on Van Gaal to see what aces he brings out from his sleeves to win this match.
Can Liverpool bounce back from recent disasters?
Much similar to Manchester United, their arch rivals are having an unpredictable season. After Jurgen Klopp took charge of the team, they have been better. But, they have also lost points against weaker teams, latest instance being the match against Sunderland last week. The Reds also lost the FA Cup fixture against West Ham. On a positive side, they have reached the final of Capital One Cup and will play against Manchester City.
Before the final, Liverpool have Europa League fixtures and this Premier League game against Aston Villa. As you can understand clearly, a win is going to be good before the important matches in the other competitions while another loss is just going to have terrible effect on the players’ morale.
Four teams running for two European spots:
The Premier League has always produced extremely competitive games and this year has been no exception. While Leicester City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City have somewhat consolidated their positions in the top six, the next two positions are going to be tricky this time. Along with Manchester United, West Ham, Everton and Southampton are well in contention and gameweek 26 may prove to be very important for these teams.
Before the final, Liverpool have Europa League fixtures and this Premier League game against Aston Villa. As you can understand clearly, a win is going to be good before the important matches in the other competitions while another loss is just going to have terrible effect on the players’ morale.
Four teams running for two European spots:
The Premier League has always produced extremely competitive games and this year has been no exception. While Leicester City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City have somewhat consolidated their positions in the top six, the next two positions are going to be tricky this time. Along with Manchester United, West Ham, Everton and Southampton are well in contention and gameweek 26 may prove to be very important for these teams.
Everton have a relatively fixture this weekend, against a struggling West Brom side. On the other hand, Southampton will be traveling to Swansea and Norwich will host West Ham. Both Swansea and Norwich have produced some surprise performances in occasions and no one can rule out an upset in their home games. Lukaku and co, however, should win it comfortably and that will give them an edge for the rest of the season. The battle is on and it’s getting more interesting every week, don’t you think?
Hiddink’s unbeaten run about to continue:
Since the sacking of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea have never lost a Premier League game. Although they are still in the bottom half of the table, it can be said that Guus Hiddink has done a pretty decent job. Last week, Diego Costa’s injury time equalizer saved the day for the Blues and they could return with a point against Manchester United. And this time, they are going to welcome Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge. The Magpies are at the sixteenth position, only a point above the relegation zone. They have won only two of the last nine games. Naturally, Hiddink’s unbeaten run should not take a jolt. But, it will be worthwhile to see how far a win can pull them up in the table.
Valentine’s Day fixtures:
The lovers’ day is going to bring two exciting fixtures for the football lovers. It will most definitely be a day to remember, for the top four teams are going to lock horns against one another. On one hand, third placed Arsenal are going to welcome league leaders Leicester City while on the other, second placed Tottenham are going to take a trip to the Etihad stadium.
Leicester will look forward to replicate their performances from the last week when they defeated Manchester City comfortably. But, Arsenal are never an easy team to beat and it has the potential to become one of the best matches of the season. And in the last game of the week, Mauricio Pochettino’s men should get a victory over City, who have not won against any of the other top five teams. In the reverse fixture, Spurs demolished Aguero and co 4-1 and that would work as a positive for them. Nonetheless, another mouth-watering clash is on the cards.
The lovers’ day is going to bring two exciting fixtures for the football lovers. It will most definitely be a day to remember, for the top four teams are going to lock horns against one another. On one hand, third placed Arsenal are going to welcome league leaders Leicester City while on the other, second placed Tottenham are going to take a trip to the Etihad stadium.
Leicester will look forward to replicate their performances from the last week when they defeated Manchester City comfortably. But, Arsenal are never an easy team to beat and it has the potential to become one of the best matches of the season. And in the last game of the week, Mauricio Pochettino’s men should get a victory over City, who have not won against any of the other top five teams. In the reverse fixture, Spurs demolished Aguero and co 4-1 and that would work as a positive for them. Nonetheless, another mouth-watering clash is on the cards.
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