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The Final Stretch: All To Play for in the English Premier League

The 2022/23 Premier League season is heading toward the business end and is set to be one of the most highly competitive seasons in recent history.

The majority of the sides in the competition have all to play for during the remainder of the season, and with 10 game weeks left to play, the competition is all set to heat up as the league resumes after a 12-day international break.

The final stretch of the Premier League will commence on Saturday, 1 April as defending champions, Manchester City, host Liverpool in the early kick-off. League leaders, Arsenal, will host Leeds United on the same day while Champions League-chasing Newcastle United and Manchester United will lock horns on Sunday, 2 April.

Let’s have a look at what is on the line for the 20 teams in the English Premier League:

The Title Race

The race for the 2022/23 Premier League title is expected to go down to the wire as Manchester City chase Arsenal for the coveted title. Arsenal, the unlikely leaders, currently sit at the top of the table with 69 points in 28 games, as they lead Manchester City by 8 points, who have 61 points in 27 matches.

Arsenal finished in the fifth spot in the previous season and have not won the Premier League title since 2003/04. Meanwhile, City are the defending champions and have won 6 titles since the 2011/12 season.

The Gunners have been sensational, winning 22, drawing 3, and losing 3 matches throughout the campaign. They have 10 games still left to play with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City themselves set to test Arsenal’s mettle.

City, on the other hand, have a much easier run in comparison to Arsenal but City’s bid to win the UEFA Champions League might have an adverse impact on their title run-in.

Here are the remaining fixtures for both sides:

ArsenalManchester City
Leeds (H)Liverpool (H)
Liverpool (A)Southampton (A)
West Ham (A)Leicester City (H)
Southampton (H)Brighton (A)
Manchester City (A)Arsenal (H)
Chelsea (H)Fulham (A)
Newcastle (A)West Ham (H)
Brighton (H)Leeds United (H)
Nottingham Forest (A)Everton (A)
Wolves (H)Chelsea (H)
Brentford (A)

Battle for Top Four

Just like the title race, the battle for the top four is also set to go down to the wire with only eight points separating third-placed Manchester United and eighth-placed Brentford.

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Liverpool, Brighton, and Brentford all have a chance to finish in the top four with Champions League qualification on the line. Six teams will battle it out for two places as they look to make it to Europe’s elite qualification.

Currently, Manchester United are in the pole position to finish at the third spot with 50 points in 26 matches. They are closely followed by Spurs at fourth with 49 points and Newcastle at fifth with 47 points. Liverpool sit at the sixth spot, level on points with Brighton and Brentford at 42 points.

Here is the points table for the Champions League’s places:

PositionClubMatchesWinsDrawsLossesGoal DifferencePoints
3Man United261556650
4Spurs2815491249
5Newcastle26121132047
6Liverpool2612681842
7Brighton2512671542
8Brentford2710125942

Outside of the top four race, Fulham, Chelsea, and Aston Villa also have a chance to qualify for the remaining European competitions, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.

Relegation Fight for the Ages

Similarly, things at the bottom of the table are as tight as ever. The relegation battle is one for the ages with only four points separating the 12th-placed Crystal Palace and bottom-placed Southampton.

The relegation fight is also expected to go down to the last day as nine teams battle to avoid the bottom three places and secure their place in next season’s Premier League. The last three teams will be relegated down to the championship, which would prove to be catastrophic to their ambitions.

Currently, West Ham United, Bournemouth, and Southampton are in the three relegation spots with 24, 24, and 23 points respectively. All the nine teams will fight tooth and nail to stay in the competition, which will make for an exciting run in as the Premier League season nears a historic conclusion.

Here is the relegation points table:

PositionClubMatchesWinsDrawsLossesGoal DifferencePoints
12Crystal Palace286913-1627
13Wolves287615-1927
14Leeds United276813-926
15Everton286814-1826
16Nottingham Forest276813-2726
17Leicester City277416-925
18West Ham United266614-1024
19Bournemouth276615-2924
20Southampton286517-2323

 

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