Dan’s EPL Predictions – No Arsenal game but title will be decided

Chelsea 1-1 Everton
One assumes Chelsea were quite pleased when Man City scored in stoppage time on Tuesday, at that point, the Blues were heading for seventh!
Maresca continues to offer some baffling post-match comments. Last week, he argued that criticism of being sixth is unfair because his side had been higher for much of the season.
It’s still unclear whether he’s out of his depth and unaware of the size of the club he’s managing, or whether he’s genuinely doing a good job under a long-term vision at the Bridge.

Brighton 3-1 West Ham
There’s irony in Graham Potter returning to the Amex with a West Ham side that still aren’t mathematically safe from relegation.
With the talent in that squad, the Hammers should not be in this position in April. It’s not all Potter’s fault, but he hasn’t quite got going yet in East London.
One wonders if he regrets leaving Brighton. The Seagulls have been leaky lately, but it’s hard to see the visitors doing enough to worry them.

Newcastle 5-0 Ipswich
Last weekend felt like a great time for the Toon to visit Villa Park, so conceding four was a missed opportunity.
With Forest, City, and Villa on FA Cup duty, this is a golden chance. Outside of the bottom two, Ipswich are the side you’d most want to host.
To survive, the Tractor Boys would need to win all their remaining fixtures, hope West Ham pick up no more points, and still rely on goal difference.
One wonders how Kieran McKenna motivates his players for a trip to Tyneside like this.

Southampton 1-2 Fulham
The Saints need just one more point to avoid the lowest points tally in Premier League history.
Two of their 11 points have come under Simon Rusk, with many saying last Saturday was their best performance of the season, not that it’s saying much.
Even then, they lacked luck in both boxes. The quality simply hasn’t been there.

Wolves 3-0 Leicester
Relegation is always painful, but few clubs, especially newly promoted ones, have faced as much anger as Leicester has.
Southampton and Ipswich will also go down, yet neither has received this level of backlash.
Connor Coady and Jamie Vardy have both strongly suggested that the Foxes were not prepared off the pitch for top-flight football.
Losing heavily in a match that once looked pivotal won’t help the mood. Much of that is down to the excellent work of Vítor Pereira.

Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester United
Last week’s prediction came before Rubén Amorim’s post-match press conference, where he made it clear he’d rest players ahead of the Wolves game.
The manager isn’t hiding the fact that it’s Europa League or bust this season, and that has an effect on the squad and the mood at Old Trafford, protests aside.
If Bruno Fernandes didn’t start last weekend, it’s unlikely he will with less than a week until the semi-final in Spain.
Bournemouth didn’t capitalise on playing against ten men last weekend. Can they take advantage this time of United having one eye elsewhere?
Missing out on moments like this could cost them a historic first European qualification.

Liverpool 3-1 Spurs
Ask most Liverpool fans—they were hoping Arsenal wouldn’t lose midweek so their side could clinch the title at Anfield, a moment they missed during the pandemic.
If Arne Slot could hand-pick an opponent, it would probably be Spurs.
Their players appear to have mentally checked into the Europa League, while some fans will once again cheer their own team conceding—because it might mean Arsenal don’t win the league.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see red shirts in the away end. Poor Ange Postecoglou is left questioning the mentality of the club he works for yet again.

FA Cup (90 minutes only – so if you’re backing extra time or pens, call it a draw)

Aston Villa 1-2 Crystal Palace
Villa have faltered in recent big matches and may arrive at Wembley mentally drained, especially as favourites.
That pressure won’t help if they’ve seen Newcastle and Chelsea win earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Watkins is reportedly unhappy about Unai Emery’s rotation.
If the Arsenal interest in January was serious, you’d question Villa’s commitment to him, especially if he’s benched for both legs of a Champions League quarter-final and a semi-final at Wembley.
Palace looked rejuvenated at the Emirates and could take advantage of Villa’s mental and physical fatigue.

Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City
At one point, Pep Guardiola walked away from Barcelona citing mental exhaustion, so many wondered whether he had the energy to rebuild a title-winning side again at City.
But his wild celebration on Tuesday showed that the hunger is very much still there.
City’s style suits Forest, who, under Nuno prefer to sit back and counter, but there’s a big difference between preferring that approach—and actually executing it against City.
One of these clubs is used to these occasions. The other is still learning.