Who will finish in the top four in the Premier League?
There are currently six teams in the Barclays Premier League either hoping to reach or trying to retain their position in the top four. These teams vying for the positions are Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Southampton apart from Chelsea, who look like they have the top 4 sealed, if not the title.
Apart from Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United are currently in the top four, but Liverpool, Southampton, and Tottenham will be giving it their all to finish in the Champions League places at the end of the season. Here is a quick analysis of the aforementioned teams’ chances to finish in the top 4:
Manchester United
Manchester United are currently placed fourth in the Premier League. Although the team is in the driving seat for a Champions League spot this year, they have been criticized for their poor performance in the season.
United still have to play Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in their upcoming fixtures, making their task to finish in the top four harder than it is. Compared to the other teams United definitely has the hardest fixtures in their last 9 games.
Liverpool
Liverpool, currently fifth placed, is two points behind their arch-rivals Manchester United. The team has been in splendid form ever since their loss to United back in December. They have played 13 games since then and have not lost, winning 10 and drawing 3.
Although Liverpool have been playing well, they have to face some of the top sides of the league in the last quarter of the season to reach the top four.
Arsenal
Arsenal is just one point behind Manchester City, who are in the 2nd spot, and seven points behind league leaders Chelsea. Although it is highly unlikely Chelsea will mess up in their last stretch of games, Arsenal seem most likely to challenge their London rivals for the league, due to the fine form they have been in.
Arsenal though have a relatively easy set of fixtures in their upcoming matches and considering manager Arsene Wenger’s record, it would be foolhardy to think they wouldn’t finish in the top 4 for another season.
Manchester City
Manchester City have let the title race slip out of their hand after the loss to Burnley. The team were only a few points behind Chelsea and had a really good chance of keeping the Blues under pressure and vie for their second consecutive title.
But, poor performances have certainly shifted their attention to a top 4 spot rather than challenging for the title. City still have to play a majority of the top 10 teams in the league and will have to put together a decent run to keep their place in the Champions League positions.
Southampton
Southampton were the biggest surprise this season, even after losing a majority of their first team players, they managed to stay in the top four up until a few weeks back. They had a brilliant start to the season, but dipped in form after the mid-season break.
Southampton are currently in sixth place, and six points behind the top four. The team though has one of the easiest set of games in their upcoming fixtures and will be a serious threat for the race for Champions League qualification if they can manage to replicate their early season form.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs, like Southampton, are six points behind the top four in seventh place at the moment. On paper, they have one of the easiest set of upcoming matches, as they face a lot of teams from the bottom half of the league.
With the form of striker Harry Kane, Spurs have a decent chance of gatecrashing the top 4, but they don’t have their destiny in their hands and depend on other teams’ results for the coveted Champions League spot.
