A reinvigorated Chelsea travel away to face Brighton
A reinvigorated Chelsea side vying for a return to continental football travel to a Brighton & Hove Albion team mourning their own European aspirations in Wednesday’s Premier League contest.
The Blues emerged triumphant 3-2 from a topsy-turvy affair with Nottingham Forest over the weekend, while the Seagulls were pegged back in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.
Lying smack-bang in mid-table mediocrity, Brighton can only finish as high as eighth – and even that hinges on them taking maximum points off of Manchester United on the final day – but it has now been almost three months since the hosts notched multiple goals in a single 90-minute affair.
Chelsea make the trip to the Amex Stadium seeking successive Premier League victories on the road for the first time in 2024, having cruelly denied Nottingham Forest the chance to rubber-stamp their top-flight status at the City Ground on Saturday evening.
A 15-game run without a clean sheet in Premier League away games remains an unwelcome blot on the Pochettino notebook. While Chelsea can never normally be relied upon to bolt the back door shut on the road, Brighton’s toothlessness in attack has plagued them for a matter of months now, and only Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have won more Premier League points than Chelsea in 2024.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Manchester United pit their wits against Newcastle United
Taking to the Old Trafford turf for the final time in the 2023-24 Premier League season, Manchester United pit their wits against fellow European hopefuls Newcastle United on Wednesday evening.
Erik ten Hag‘s men are reeling from a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday night, prior to which the Magpies hit back against Brighton & Hove Albion to come away with a point in a 1-1 draw.
Compared to their chastening 4-0 trouncing at the hands of Crystal Palace last Monday, Man United’s defence was not quite as leaky as the Old Trafford roof in Sunday’s main event with Arsenal, where the Red Devils were being cheered on by both sides of the city.
By failing to give noisy neighbours Manchester City a helping hand, Ten Hag’s dismal side remain in an unremarkable eighth place in the rankings, three points behind Newcastle and Chelsea with two games left to go, meaning that they could officially be eliminated from top-seven contention if midweek results do not go their way.
On the other side of the coin, Newcastle’s 2024-25 campaign may not feature any form of continental competition either if their final two results are dissatisfactory, but there should be no threat to Eddie Howe‘s seat in the St James’ Park dugout for the time being.
Without a draw on their travels since October, Newcastle are an unpredictable and volatile force on the road – winning four and losing three of their last seven – but Howe’s men should certainly trouble the permeable Man United backline.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Atletico Madrid visit nearby Getafe
Victory would ensure a top-four finish in La Liga and Champions League qualification for Atletico Madrid, as they visit nearby Getafe on Wednesday evening.
Atleti have won three games on the spin to move within a whisker of securing a place in Europe’s top club competition, while their capital counterparts sit comfortably in mid-table.
Sunday’s 1-0 home win against struggling Celta Vigo put Atletico Madrid eight points ahead of nearest challengers Athletic Club in fourth place, with just three games remaining of an inconsistent campaign.
Getafe have waited since a 3-2 success in November 2011 for victory over their more illustrious neighbours, and current form suggests that wait may go on until next season at least.
Following last week’s defeat to lowly Cadiz, the Azulones have lost their last two matches without scoring, and they are now in danger of missing out on a top-half finish. With a tally of 29 points from 17 games at the Coliseum this season, Getafe will now expect to at least test opponents they have traditionally been dominated by in a local derby.
As Atleti are running into some late-season form and their hosts have started to stumble, the visitors’ domination of this fixture is set to continue – they will surely score more than once at the Coliseum.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Celta Vigo continue their survival fight asthey face Athletic Bilbao
Celta Vigo will continue their survival fight when they face Athletic Bilbao in Wednesday’s La Liga clash at Balaidos.
The Galician hosts head into matchday 36 in 18th position, while Los Leones are sitting in fifth place after collecting 61 points from 35 matches. Celta suffered a third consecutive away defeat at the weekend despite putting in a determined display in their away meeting with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Despite falling to add to their 34-point tally, Celta still have a sizeable five-point buffer between themselves and Cadiz ahead of their final three fixtures against Athletic, Granada and Valencia.
With Celta looking to extend their 12-year stay in the top flight, they can secure mathematical safety on matchday 36 if they beat Athletic and Cadiz lose to Sevilla.
After winning their last two home matches, Celta now have the opportunity to claim three consecutive home league wins for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Since winning the Copa del Rey, Athletic have experienced an inconsistent run of league form, with their last five matches producing one win, three draws and one defeat. Los Leones can still be proud of the fact that they are on the verge of securing Europa League qualification and a fifth-placed finish, which would represent their best La Liga season since 2015-16.
Athletic have won just two of their last eight away league games, and we think that they will have to settle for a draw against a Celta side that has avoided defeat in each of their previous four home matches.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Fixtures
Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion 19:45 Chelsea
Manchester United 20:00 Newcastle United
Spanish La Liga
