NEWCASTLE UNITED headed into the international break sitting in fifth position in the table - Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson looks at the battle for Champions League qualification and predicts who will finish in the top four
1 ARSENAL (p28, 69pts)
From outsiders to make the top four last August to short-price favourites to lift the title in late March, this has already been quite some season for Arsenal. Sunday’s routine dismantling of Crystal Palace took Mikel Arteta’s side eight points clear of Manchester City, and with just eight more games to play, it is now the Gunners’ title to lose. Away games at Anfield and the Etihad have the potential to be tricky, but in terms of a top-four finish, Arsenal are pretty much home and hosed already. Remarkably, next season will be their first in the Champions League since the 2016-17 campaign.
Top-four odds: 1-200
2 MAN CITY (p27, 61pts)
With a game in hand, Manchester City are certainly not out if it when it comes to the title race, but even if they beat Arsenal at the Etihad at the end of next month, they will still need Mikel Arteta’s side to drop further points if they are going to overhaul them. The Champions League crown has become something of a crusade for Pep Guardiola and his players, but while City cruised through to the last eight, a quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich is as tough as draw as they could have been handed. Barring a disaster though, they will be back in Europe’s premier competition next season.
Top-four odds: 1-150
3 MAN UTD (p26, 50pts)
While Manchester United’s brief hopes of claiming the title might have disappeared in the last month or so, Erik ten Hag’s side remain well placed to secure a top-four finish that would see them return to the Champions League after this season’s absence. That said, however, they are only three points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle and have a much heavier schedule than the Magpies with an FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and two-legged Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla to factor in. Keeping key players fit could be key.
Top-four odds: 1-10
4 TOTTENHAM (p28, 49pts)
Given the multiple crises that are engulfing Spurs at the moment, it seems remarkable that Antonio Conte’s side are ensconced in a top-four spot. Whether Conte will remain in charge for too much longer remains to be seen after his jaw-dropping outburst in the wake of Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Southampton, and things are clearly not right within the camp at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Nevertheless, with a reasonably favourable final four games and Harry Kane as reliable a goalscorer as ever, it would be folly to rule Spurs out of the Champions League race.
Top-four odds: 23-10
5 NEWCASTLE (p26, 47pts)
They might have had a blip around the time of their appearance in the Carabao Cup final, but successive wins over Wolves and Nottingham Forest have steadied the ship at Newcastle and significantly bolstered the Magpies’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in two decades. With two games in hand over Spurs, Newcastle are well-placed, with next month’s home meeting with Tottenham having the potential to prove decisive. They could do with avoiding more injuries in midfield though, with the loss of Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon a blow.
Top-four odds: Evens
6 LIVERPOOL (p26, 42pts)
Just when you think Liverpool have turned things around with a seven-goal thrashing of Manchester United, they remind you of their frailties with a tame 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth. Jurgen Klopp’s side are capable of stand-out displays, but their midfield continues to malfunction repeatedly and they are far from watertight at the back. Last week’s Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid means the battle for the top four is now their only focus, but the fact that their next three games pit them against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal has to count against them.
Top-four odds: 9-5
7 BRIGHTON (p25, 42pts)
Could Brighton be the wildcard when it comes to the Champions League race? The Seagulls have been fantastic all season, but have been in particularly good form since the turn of the year, winning nine of their 13 matches in all competitions and losing just once. If they win their game in hand, they will move to within two points of Newcastle and still have two games in hand on fourth-placed Spurs. The FA Cup could prove a distraction, particularly if they make the final, but with the likes of Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma in the form of their lives, Brighton are live top-four contenders.
Top-four odds: 5-1
8 BRENTFORD (p27, 42pts)
Having thrust themselves into the top-four conversation, Brentford have blotted their copybook somewhat in the last three games, losing at Everton and only picking up a point from a home game with Leicester. They are probably too far away now, having played 27 games, and the likely loss of Ivan Toney because of his betting offences will be a massive blow if and when it is confirmed. If they are going to have any chance of making the Champions League, they will surely have to win at Brighton in their first game after the international break.
Top-four odds: 66-1
9 FULHAM (p27, 39pts)
It might have come in the FA Cup, but Sunday’s chaotic defeat to Manchester United will surely have damaging consequences when it comes to Fulham’s already-unlikely prospects of finishing in the top four. Aleksandar Mitrovic will almost certainly be handed a lengthy ban after laying a hand on the match official, and Fulham are a far less threatening proposition when the Serbian striker is not playing. The Cottagers are heading into a reasonably-inviting run of matches, but they are hardly in great shape.
Top-four odds: 375-1
10 CHELSEA (p27, 38pts)
For most of the season, it has felt like Chelsea were on the verge of kicking into gear under Graham Potter. It hasn’t happened yet though, so it’s a leap of faith to think the Blues are suddenly going to embark on the quite of run that would be needed to gatecrash the top four. The players are there, but Potter still seems to be sifting through what he was presented with after the January window, and the 11-point gap currently separating them from Spurs is surely too big to breach.
Top-four odds: 66-1
Predicted finishing order:
1 Arsenal, 2 Man City, 3 Man Utd, 4. Newcastle, 5. Brighton. 6. Tottenham, 7. Liverpool, 8.Chelsea, 9. Aston Villa, 10. Brentford
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here