EPL 2016/17: Predicting the final Top 4; Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd or Arsenal - who misses out?
After another weekend of games, the Premier League looks all set for a photo finish – both at the top of the table and in the race for the top four spots. Tottenham Hotspur's loss to West Ham on Friday night will give Chelsea a huge advantage when they play Middlesbrough on Monday night but the Blues are not assured of the title just yet.
However, both sides are now so far head that they are assured of qualifying for the Champions League no matter what happens below them. Four other teams now vie for the final two spots that will decide whether they play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays or on the dreaded Thursday nights in the Europa League.
We take a look at what each team has in store and where they could finish in the table.
| # | TEAM | PLD | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 34 | 72 | 29 | 43 | 81 |
| 2 | Tottenham | 35 | 71 | 23 | 48 | 77 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 36 | 71 | 42 | 29 | 70 |
| 4 | Man City | 35 | 70 | 37 | 33 | 69 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 35 | 51 | 27 | 24 | 65 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 34 | 66 | 42 | 24 | 63 |
Also read: A playoff may decide the EPL’s final top 4 and Champions League spots
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are the team that have probably blown their chances of finishing at least in the top three and automatically qualifying for the Champions League group stages. Like Chelsea, they have not had to contend with European football this season and only had domestic games to focus on.
It begs the question why they are not higher up in the table instead of 11 points behind the Blues having played two games more. Among all the top six teams, the Reds have played the most games and their eventual position is not in their hands anymore. It now depends on results going their way.
Klopp’s side have a stellar record against the other top six teams competing for the Top 4. They did not lose a single game to any of the top six teams. They beat Arsenal twice and they beat Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City once, drawing the rest.
But it's their results against teams lower down the table that have let them down. With two games left, they now play West Ham (away) and Middlesbrough (home). In the reverse fixture, they drew with the Hammers but beat Boro. We could see similar results and the Reds will finish with 74 points.