Everything you need to know about the Premier League’s final day: Who’ll make the top four?
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Odds and preview for the last day of the season
The full-time whistle is almost ready to blow on the longest Premier League season in history, but there’s still plenty to be settled on the final day.
There are Champions League and Europa League places up for grabs. At the other end of the table, Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth are all chasing a win that could secure survival.
We could see plenty of twists and turns on Sunday afternoon and we’ve run through the potential outcomes…
Top four
At one point, Leicester City looked nailed on to seal Champions League qualification. Now they face Manchester United in a winner-takes-all clash. A win for either side would see them secure a top-four spot. Our traders have United as 5/4 favourites, with Leicester at 21/10.
A draw at 12/5 could be enough for both sides, providing Wolves do them a favour and beat Chelsea. The Blues just need to avoid defeat to finish at least fourth. Chelsea are 10/11 to get the win and 5/2 for the draw.
Europa League spots
Depending on how results go, one of Man Utd, Chelsea and Leicester will finish fifth. As it stands, there’s only one other Europa League spot available via the league. That sixth spot is occupied by Wolves, who must beat Chelsea (3/1) to guarantee they hold on to it.
If Wolves don’t win, Tottenham Hotspur could leap above them. Spurs have hauled themselves back into contention with a run of four wins from five.
They’re away to a Crystal Palace side that has lost seven on the spin. Spurs are clear favourites at 8/15, with the Eagles 5/1 to sign off with a win. A draw at 3/1 would be enough for Spurs if Wolves lose, given their marginally superior goal difference.
Depending on how the FA Cup final goes, the team finishing seventh – either Wolves or Spurs – could qualify for Europe too.
If Arsenal upset the odds at 12/5 to win in 90 mins, they’ll go into the draw for the Europa League group stage. But if Chelsea win (11/10 in 90 mins), the Europa League place usually reserved for the cup would move over to the league.
Relegation
Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth all still have a chance to survive, but only one of them can stay up.
With Villa and Watford both on 34 points, and Bournemouth on 31, the Cherries must beat Everton to have any hope of avoiding the drop. Our traders have Eddie Howe’s side at 2/1 to win at Goodison Park. They would then need both Villa and Watford to lose, allowing them to stay up on goal difference.
Villa are away at West Ham United, who clinched survival with a draw against Man Utd. Dean Smith’s side have much more at stake here – we make them 6/5 favourites. A draw (13/5) could also be enough for the Villans, depending on the Watford result.
Watford are away at Arsenal, who lost to Villa in midweek. Will the Gunners have one eye on the FA Cup final? We’ve got them as 19/20 favourites, with the Hornets back at 13/5. A draw (27/10) could also save Watford, but it would depend on other results.
If Villa and Watford both draw, Villa would stay up by virtue of having a goal difference tally one superior to Watford.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
