It’s all going on beneath the surface in the English Premier League this weekend, with the battle for European qualification heading for boiling point.
With the EPL title race all but cooked it’s bubbling up incredibly below, with the entire top half of the current table able to stake a claim for a continental berth.
Liverpool will take another giant leap towards the title on Sunday if they can seal all three points from their home game against West Ham.
Arne Slot’s side will have to bounce back from only their second defeat of the season last weekend, while the Hammers head to Anfield four without a win and dreaming only of sizzling on the beach for their summer holidays.
Arsenal will have first go at keeping their challenge for the crown alive in the Saturday evening kick off, as Brentford pop across from west to north London.
The Gunners would, temporarily at least, close the gap to the Reds to eight points with an Emirates Stadium victory and odds are that will come to pass, with the Bees apparently running out of puff.
Newcastle are one of the league’s form teams, still basking in the glow of their Wembley heroics in the Carabao Cup final and with a precious game in hand to bolster their run-in.
Manchester United are the visitors to St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon, with Eddie Howe and his charges plotting another three-point haul that would put them right in the mix for a return to the Uefa Champions League.
Chelsea are one of only four clubs above the Toon Army in the Premier League table coming into this weekend, with a home match against Ipswich their next task.
An underwhelming draw at Brentford a week ago leaves Enzo Maresca’s Blues with work still to do, while the Tractor Boys are desperate to lay a glove on one of the big guns as relegation back to the Championship begins to look inevitable.
Wolves remain Ipswich’s nearest notional target but beat the Suffolk side to make it three on the bounce and create a 12-point buffer in the process.
They now welcome wobbly Tottenham to Molineux, with Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs going to the Black Country knowing a 17th EPL defeat of the campaign would leave them just two point above their hosts.
Manchester City kick off the EPL weekend on Saturday lunchtime, with the visit of in-form Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium a tricky assignment.
Pep Guardiola’s outgoing champions are right in the thick of the battle for Europe, but have only won one of their last four to put them at risk of missing out come the end of May.
Hogging one of those prized places are interlopers Nottingham Forest.
They tasted a rare defeat last time out but will still be third in the Premier League table whatever the outcome of their City Ground home game against steadily improving Everton.
It was Aston Villa who stuck one on Forest last Saturday to boost their own chances of back-to-back Uefa Champions League qualifications.
Unai Emery now takes his side to sorry Southampton, whose relegation was confirmed last weekend before the inevitable departure of coach Ivan Juric, with Saints’ only remaining target now to avoid the lowest points tally in top flight history.
Freefalling towards oblivion alongside them are Leicester, who face another awkward afternoon out at Brighton.
The Foxes are Championship-bound under the hapless charge of Ruud van Nistelrooy, while the Seagulls need a boost to restart their top half tilt following back-to-back losses.
And the action extends to the Monday night football when Bournemouth host Fulham.
It’s the visitors who have taken the upper hand in their bid to break into the top six, not least by inflicting just a second defeat of the season on Liverpool at Craven Cottage last weekend.
The Cherries, meanwhile, have seen their form go off a cliff in recent weeks, with this now having the feeling of a make-or-break game for Andoni Iraola and Co at the Vitality Stadium.
Fixtures and results
Latest table
All latest EPL Predictions
Manchester City v Crystal Palace
| Result prediction | Crystal Palace to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Manchester City / Crystal Palace to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | E. Haaland(Manchester City) J. Mateta(Crystal Palace) I. Sarr(Crystal Palace) |
Brighton & Hove Albion v Leicester City
| Result prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion / Brighton & Hove Albion to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Nottingham Forest v Everton
| Result prediction | Nottingham Forest to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Nottingham Forest / Nottingham Forest to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | A. Elanga(Nottingham Forest) |
Southampton v Aston Villa
| Result prediction | Aston Villa to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Aston Villa to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Marco Asensio(Aston Villa) M. Rogers(Aston Villa) |
Arsenal v Brentford
| Result prediction | Arsenal to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Arsenal to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Chelsea v Ipswich Town
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Liverpool v West Ham United
| Result prediction | Liverpool to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Liverpool / Liverpool to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Mohamed Salah(Liverpool) |
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur
| Result prediction | Wolverhampton Wanderers to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Wolverhampton Wanderers / Wolverhampton Wanderers to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Strand Larsen(Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
Newcastle United v Manchester United
| Result prediction | Newcastle United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Newcastle United / Newcastle United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Murphy(Newcastle United) A. Isak(Newcastle United) |
AFC Bournemouth v Fulham
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Fulham / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Evanilson(AFC Bournemouth) R. Sessegnon(Fulham) Rodrigo Muniz(Fulham) |
Newcastle United v Crystal Palace
| Result prediction | Newcastle United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Newcastle United / Newcastle United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Murphy(Newcastle United) A. Isak(Newcastle United) J. Mateta(Crystal Palace) I. Sarr(Crystal Palace) |