After 370 games in the Premier League, the title and relegation places have been decided.
Up for grabs, however, is the last two tickets to next season’s Champions League competition with the two Manchester clubs – champion City and second-placed United – already assured of their places.
Chelsea is third going into the final Sunday of the Premier League with 67 points, one ahead of Liverpool, which has the same points as Leicester but ahead on goal difference.
For Chelsea, the situation is simple; beat Aston Villa and it qualifies for the premier European club competition.
Liverpool’s 3-0 beating of Burnley means it now has a +24 goal difference, four more than Leicester.
If Liverpool beats Crystal Palace at home, Leicester not only has to beat Tottenham but score four more goals than Liverpool to grab fourth place on goals scored.
As it stands, Liverpool has scored 42 goals to Leicester’s 46.
Should Chelsea – which has a +23 goal difference – lose to Villa, and the other two draw their matches, then Liverpool will finish third. Chelsea will be fourth unless it suffers a four-goal defeat.
Should Chelsea draw and the other two teams win, then Liverpool and Leicester play in the Champions League.
But that would not be the end of the world for Chelsea as it plays Manchester City in this season’s Champions League final (May 30, 3am).
If it finishes fifth in the Premier League but wins the final, it would then gain a place in next year’s competition, giving England five slots.
That also happened in 2005 when Liverpool finished fifth but won the trophy by edging AC Milan on penalties in Istanbul.
Ironically, this year’s final was supposed to be held in the same stadium as 2005 but was moved to Porto, as Uefa said it would allow English fans to travel under Covid-19 restrictions.
Be ready for anything this Sunday.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
SUNDAY (11pm)
Arsenal vs Brighton
Aston Villa vs Chelsea
Fulham vs Newcastle
Leeds vs West Brom
Leicester vs Tottenham
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace
Manchester City vs Everton
Sheffield United vs Burnley
West Ham vs Southampton
Wolves vs Manchester United
