Man City welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium
Aware that points dropped will all but end their Premier League title hopes, Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium for a hugely important top-flight contest on Wednesday night.
The Citizens comfortably collected maximum points against the Eagles in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park in December, winning 3-0 courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland (2) and Phil Foden.
Five days after an eventful yet damaging 3-3 draw at Everton, Man City bounced back with a much-needed 3-0 home win over Brentford on Saturday, courtesy of second-half strikes from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush.
Arsenal secured a slender 1-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday, preserved only by a controversial VAR intervention that denied the Hammers a last-gasp equaliser. The result leaves Man City five points adrift of Arsenal at the summit, though that gap can be cut to just two points with a win over Palace on Wednesday.
Guardiola’s men are aware that failure to beat the Eagles would hand Arsenal the opportunity to wrap up the title in their final home game of the season against relegated Burnley next Monday. However, City will take comfort from their remarkable 36-game unbeaten home record in the Premier League.
Six of the last seven Premier League encounters between Man City and Crystal Palace have seen 3+ goals scored, while 10 of the last 11 meetings at the Etihad have also seen the net ripple at least three times, so goals can be expected on Wednesday.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barcelona travel away to face relegation-threatened Alaves
Fresh from being confirmed as La Liga winners for the 2025-26 campaign, Barcelona will continue their domestic campaign away to relegation-threatened Alaves on Wednesday night.
Hansi Flick‘s side secured the title with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico on Sunday, and they will now tackle an Alaves outfit that sit 18th in the La Liga table.
Alaves have only actually lost two of their last eight La Liga matches, but they have won just twice during that period, and the Basque outfit are firmly involved in the relegation battle in Spain’s top flight heading towards the final straight.
Alaves have picked up 24 points from their 17 home league matches this season, which is only the 14th-best record in the division, and they will be hosting a Barcelona side that have the best away record in La Liga this term, securing 37 points from 17 games.
Earlier this season, Barcelona recorded a 3-1 victory over Alaves, and the Catalan side are currently on a six-game winning run against El Glorioso, including a 3-0 success in the corresponding game during the 2024-25 season.
Barcelona comfortably lead the head-to-head record against Alaves, with the Catalan outfit winning 36 of their previous 50 matches, suffering only seven defeats in the process.
In La Liga, the two teams have met on 39 occasions, with Barcelona winning 27 of those encounters.
Alaves desperately need a positive result to boost their survival hopes, but Barcelona are simply flying at the moment, and we are expecting the champions to put another win on the board.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Sevilla battle to remain in La Liga as they host Villarreal
Sevilla‘s battle to remain in La Liga will continue on Wednesday evening, when they welcome a Villarreal outfit that are in charge of third spot in the division.
The hosts are 13th in the La Liga table, three points ahead of 18th-placed Alaves, while Villarreal are third, six points ahead of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
Villarreal will enter Wednesday’s match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Mallorca, which stretched the team’s unbeaten run in Spain’s top flight to five games, and Marcelino‘s side are now in pole position to finish third in the table ahead of Atletico.
The Yellow Submarine are six points ahead of fourth-placed Atletico with two games left, although they trail Diego Simeone’s side in the head-to-head record between the two sides, so there is a scenario which sees Atletico claim third and Villarreal drop to fourth.
Villarreal will again play Champions League football next season, though, and third would represent their best campaign since a runners-up spot in 2007-08.
Earlier this season, Villarreal recorded a 2-1 win over Sevilla at Estadio Ramon, and they have been victorious in each of their last four games against Los Nervionenses.
Sevilla actually lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, having posted 25 wins in their 59 meetings, while Villarreal have claimed 17 wins.
Villarreal’s home record this season has been exceptional, and we are expecting the Yellow Submarine to put another three points on the board despite Sevilla’s strong form.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Espanyol welcome Athletic Bilbao to RCDE Stadium
Two teams with plenty on the line in the final stages of the La Liga season will lock horns on Wednesday evening, as Espanyol welcome Athletic Bilbao to RCDE Stadium.
Espanyol are currently 14th in the La Liga table, just two points above the relegation zone, while Athletic are ninth, one point behind seventh-placed Getafe.
Espanyol are, quite incredibly, still waiting for their first win of 2026, with their La Liga record this year standing at 12 defeats and six draws from 18 matches.
The Catalan outfit have dropped out of European contention and now sit 14th in the division, only two points outside of the bottom three, and it would be some turnaround if they were relegated from La Liga considering their form in the first half of the campaign.
Espanyol have one of the poorer home records in the division this season, picking up only 22 points from 17 matches, while Athletic have 15 points from their 17 games on their travels.
Athletic will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Valencia, but their won last away game, beating Alaves 4-2 at the start of the month.
The Lions will enter a new era this summer, with Edin Terzic already being confirmed as the replacement for the outgoing Valverde, who will be determined to ensure that some form of European football is secured for the club next season.
It remains to be seen whether Espanyol’s winless run comes to an end before the season concludes.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Manchester City 20:00 Crystal Palace
Fixtures
