Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge
Looking to secure an all-important Champions League spot, Chelsea welcome domestic strugglers Manchester United to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Friday night.
The Blues’ hopes of top-tier continental football were dented at the base of Newcastle United last time out, whilst the Red Devils suffered a sobering defeat at home to West Ham United.
After finishing sixth in the Premier League during the 2023-24 campaign, securing Conference League football for this term, Chelsea are aiming to go at least one position better this time around in order to qualify for the Champions League, a competition they won as recently as 2021 under Thomas Tuchel.
That being said, the Blues’ charge towards a top-five standing was stopped in its tracks by a rowdy bunch of Magpies in the North-East last Sunday afternoon, when goals either side of the half-time whistle from Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes sealed a 2-0 success for Newcastle.
The Blues should be relatively confident of picking up a positive result this Friday at Stamford Bridge, where the West Londoners were last defeated in the Premier League all the way back on Boxing Day, when a last-minute strike from Rodrigo Muniz won the afternoon for neighbours Fulham.
Only runaway champions Liverpool (1) and Aston Villa (1) have lost fewer games at home in the Premier League than Chelsea’s two so far this season, with Friday’s hosts unbeaten across their last four competitive meetings with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge stretching back to February 2021.
Manchester United extended their winless run in the Premier League to an astonishing seven matches. Sitting in 16th spot in the top-flight rankings, the Red Devils are hurtling towards their worst-ever Premier League campaign.
Hunting down a spot in the Champions League, Chelsea will be confident of putting a Europa League-focused Man United to the sword on Friday night.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Aston Villa and Tottenham faceoff at Villa Park
A Premier League win for Aston Villa against visitors Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Friday could put them in a strong position from which to qualify for the Champions League.
Villa were fortunate to have escaped the Vitality Stadium with all three points when they played Bournemouth given they mustered just six shots – three of which occurred in first-half stoppage time – with the victors registering their final attempt one minute into the second half.
Boss Unai Emery will not care about the nature of the win considering they are only behind the final Champions League qualification spot due to goal difference, though Chelsea still have to face Manchester United, as well as seventh-placed Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season.
Failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition could have significant consequences on the team’s ability to keep their best players amid reports that they are at risk of falling foul of profit and sustainability rules.
Villa have kept two consecutive clean sheets coming into Friday’s game, and they have in fact prevented their opponents from scoring in five of their last eight top-flight matches, conceding just three times in that period.
Emery’s side have been excellent in the Premier League, winning seven of their past eight while losing just one and scoring 16 goals.
The hosts’ record at home has been phenomenal, with the club undefeated in their 20 most recent outings at Villa Park, achieving victory 14 times, including in each of their last seven at the stadium.
Villa’s Premier League form has been exceptional, and they will be confident of being able to push towards the Champions League spots.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Crystal Palace face Manchester City in FA Cup final
The 144th FA Cup final will take centre stage under the famous arch of Wembley Stadium where Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Manchester City lock horns on Saturday afternoon.
While the Citizens are bidding to win England’s most prestigious cup competition for the eighth time, the Eagles are hoping to get their hands on their first-ever piece of major silverware in their 120-year existence as a professional club.
Will it be third time lucky for Crystal Palace or is more Manchester misery on the horizon? The Eagles have progressed to their third FA Cup final having lost the previous two to Manchester United in 1990 and 2016 – they are one of four clubs to compete in two finals without ever winning the trophy along with Queen’s Park (1884 and 1885), Birmingham City (1931 and 1956) and Watford (1984 and 2019).
Palace have extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches, with a 1-1 Premier League draw at home to top-five hopefuls Nottingham Forest followed by a dominant 2-0 win at strugglers Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Now sitting 12th in the Premier League table and with the same amount of points as last season (49) with two games to spare, Palace will briefly put their slim top-10 aspirations to once side as they chase immortality, with FA Cup glory not only enough to etch their name into the history books, but it would also seem them qualify for next season’s Europa League – the Eagles last competed in Europe back in 1998 (UEFA Intertoto Cup).
The Eagles have lost three of their previous four FA Cup encounters with the Citizens – their only victory was in fact their very first meeting with City in the first round of the competition back in January 1921 (2-0).
Man City have become the first team in English football history to reach the final of both major domestic cup competitions three seasons running – they reached the EFL Cup final in four successive campaigns between 2017-18 and 2020-21, and they are now gearing up for their third consecutive FA Cup showpiece.
While some may argue that Guardiola will have one eye on next Tuesday’s important PL clash against Bournemouth, Man City’s primary focus should – and most likely will – be on their 14th FA Cup final appearance. Victory on Saturday would see the Citizens lift their eighth FA Cup and draw level with Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs, while only Arsenal (14) and Man United (13) have ever won more.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Friday
Aston Villa 19:30 Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea 20:15 Manchester United
Sunday
West Ham United 14:15 Nottingham Forest
Leicester City 15:00 Ipswich Town
Arsenal 16:30 Newcastle United
Spanish La Liga
Sunday
Atlético Madrid 18:00 Real Betis
Barcelona 18:00 Villarreal
Celta Vigo 18:00 Rayo Vallecano
Las Palmas 18:00 Leganés
Mallorca 18:00 Getafe
Osasuna 18:00 Espanyol
Real Sociedad 18:00 Girona
Real Valladolid 18:00 Deportivo Alavés
Sevilla 18:00 Real Madrid
Valencia 18:00Athletic Club
