Fresh Football Fresh quotes, opinion and reaction to the beautiful game.
The 2017/18 Premier League is fast coming to a close. The good news is that supporters of the teams performing superbly will be celebrating in the not so distant future. At the same time, punters will have increased chances of winning as more markets emerge focusing on the best teams in the premiership. There are several sites for punters to place their bets with others having dedicated expert opinion sections that post over 2.5 tips daily.
Take a look at our prediction on how the Premier League table will look like at the final whistle of the 2017/18 season. The target is specificallyin the top 7 positions i.e. the European qualification positions and the bottom three which are the teams who are more likely to go down to the Championship.
Manchester City- Champions League (Final league position- 1)
Technically, Manchester City has not officially qualified for the Champions League, but it is just that, a technicality. Apart from the mathematical permutations, no one at this stage can say Manchester City will miss out on the Champions League as they have a comfortable 13 point lead over second placed Manchester United with a game in hand. Five more wins and they wrap up the title with a few games to spare.
Manchester United- Champions League (Final league position- 2)
At the start of the year, Manchester United had a comfortable cushion in second place. Two months down the line, only two points separate them from Liverpool in third place. It’s a poor run in form as per Manchester United standards as they lost some crucial matches recently. Manchester United still has some big games left to prove their worth which includes the Manchester derby, the visit of Liverpool and Arsenal. However, with Jose Mourinho, they have a functional manager who will do enough to win the points he needs in the last 10 games of the season.
Liverpool- Champions League (Final league position- 3)
Liverpool’s strength was heightened in the January transfer window by gaining the defence they needed - an area they desperately needed to improve on. Many say that it’s not their defence that will propel them into the Champions League, but rather an impressive attack strategy seen in players such as Mo Salah. The only way Liverpool can fall out of the Champions League spots is if their front three goes on a barren run. We don’t see that happening in the remaining 10 games of the season though.
Chelsea- Champions League (Final league position- 4)
Chelsea will just about get into the Champions League ahead of Tottenham for one reason only, and that is the goal to come from almost anywhere. If one thing can be said, it’s that Chelsea has made work hard for themselves. The uncertainty surrounding Antonio Conte’s future has not helped, however, just because Chelsea has many match winners from their full-backs, Marcos Alonso and Caesar Azpilicueta will just about make it.
Tottenham Hotspurs- Europa League (Final league position- 5)
Tottenham had an impressive Champions League adventure this season, but it’s likely that they will miss out for the next one. Tottenham picked up positive results lately, however all the goals was as a result from one man, Harry Kane. If Kane doesn’t score, then it’s a problem for Spurs as Christen Eriksen and Dele Alli have not been chipping in with some goals. In addition to this, Fernando Lorente has been restricted to the bench.
Arsenal- Champions League & Europa League (Final league position- 6)
Technically, Arsenal already qualifies for Europe i.e. the Europa League by virtue of them finishing second in the Carabao Cup. The only way they will miss out taking the above into perspective is if Manchester City fails to finish in the top four, which is no longer feasible at this stage. Arsenal is still in the Europa League and that provides an avenue to enter the Champions League next season if they manage to win the tournament.
Relegation places- West Brom, Crystal Palace,and Stoke City
West Brom is gone and that is the reality. Joining West Brom is probably Crystal Palace and Stoke City. The two are on a downward spiral with Crystal Palace missing several players through injury including the influential Wilfred Zaha and Bakary Sako. Stoke City are also on a downward spiral and to add to their woes, they have a tough run-in including matches with 6 teams in the top 8.
