Matchweek 34 Previews
Southampton v. Wolves
Wolves are coming off a heartbreaking loss in the FA Cup Semi-Final, letting a two-goal lead slip to lose 2-3 (AET) against Watford. They must now shift their focus back to the Premier League and their quest to finish as “the best of the rest.” Last Friday, Southampton had their two-match winning streak snapped with a loss v. Liverpool. The Saints enter the weekend just five points above the relegation zone with 6 matches to play, and they haven’t beaten Wolves since 2007.
Manchester United v. West Ham United
Manchester United have hit a bump in the road under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. They’ve lost 4 of their last 5 matches in all competitions, including Wednesday’s Champions League Quarter-Final first leg v. Barcelona. They must now turn their attention back to domestic matters, as they continue to race for a top-4 finish. Meanwhile, West Ham’s inconsistent season continues as the Hammers have lost two straight matches without scoring a goal. They now travel to Old Trafford, a ground they haven’t won at since 2007.
Crystal Palace v. Manchester City
Manchester City are coming off a disappointing loss in the Champions League at Tottenham on Tuesday. However, they have a chance to move top of the table until later in the day at least with a win at Crystal Palace on Sunday as their quest for the quadruple continues. Palace, who are coming off a clean-sheet win at Newcastle, are just one point away from reaching the perceived safety mark of 40 points. The Eagles, unbeaten in their last 2 meetings against Pep Guardiola’s side, are one of the few teams to have earned some decent results against Manchester City recently.
Liverpool v. Chelsea
Liverpool have just 5 matches left to secure a first-ever Premier League title, and Sunday’s match against Chelsea looks to be the toughest test remaining on the Reds’ fixture list, at least on paper. After hosting Chelsea, Liverpool face 3 clubs in the bottom-half of the table, followed by a visit from Wolves on Championship Sunday. Chelsea, on the other hand, have continued their strange first season under Maurizio Sarri. While the Italian head coach has come under much criticism since taking over in west London, the Blues enter the weekend in the top-3, and are leading Slavia Prague in the Europa League Quarter-Finals.
Watford v. Arsenal
After a lackluster display in a Premier League loss at Everton last Sunday, Arsenal bounced back with an impressive Europa League Quarter-Final first-leg win over Napoli on Thursday. They still have 2 paths to Champions League qualification – finish in the top-4, or win the Europa League. Slightly lower in the table, Watford are coming off a dramatic FA Cup Semi-Final victory over Wolves in which they overturned a 2-goal deficit with less than 15 minutes to play before winning in extra-time. They will now shift their focus back to securing their best-ever PL finish.
