The pressure is rising at both the top and bottom of the English Premier League this weekend, with a full set of fixtures as the competing teams jostle for final places in the EPL table.
All roads lead to Anfield on Sunday for the final match of the round, as Liverpool go up against league leaders Arsenal.
Jurgen Klopp’s hosts are in a race against the clock to squeeze their way into the top six come the end of May, with one point from their last three games hardly helping.
It’s a test of nerve for the Gunners, meanwhile, as they come into the weekend looking to protect their eight-point advantage at the top of the standings.
Old Trafford provides just as much tension across the north west on Saturday lunchtime, as the Premier League weekend kicks off with the fixture between Manchester United and Everton.
United are locked in combat for a top four finish, albeit with work still to do having pinched a first win in four attempts during the midweek action.
Sean Dyche’s Toffees remain in a sticky situation, with their four-match unbeaten streak still only yielding a single victory to leave the Merseyside club as one of four on 27 points either side of the dreaded dotted line.
The Saturday evening kick off will see Arsenal’s lead at the summit cut to five points, if reigning champions Manchester City can secure three points from their visit to sorry Southampton.
Bottom place belongs to the Saints ahead of their nightmare assignment against Pep Guardiola’s men, who have won four on the bounce to keep the heat on at the top.
Chelsea move on to their second game after the sacking of Graham Potter when they travel to Wolves, having been held to a Stamford Bridge draw by Liverpool on Tuesday.
And they do so with a familiar face back in the dugout, with Blues legend Frank Lampard reinstalled as interim coach until the end of the season.
It’s a prettier picture across London for another supposed crisis club, as Tottenham retain top four hopes in the wake of the sacking of Antonio Conte.
But they will have Brighton to deal with, who can cut fifth-placed Spurs’ advantage over themselves to a single point, with two games in hand to boot, if they can pull off a win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
An almighty Saturday clash at the wrong end of the table pits Leicester against Bournemouth.
Brendan Rodgers’ four-year managerial spell was ended by the Foxes last weekend, only for them to lose again in midweek, while the Cherries sit one place above them in the relegation zone.
There’s also a London derby with an upside down feel to it, as traditional heavyweights West Ham go to Fulham.
The Hammers are another of a clutch of clubs with survival firmly in mind, although their hosts need to end a run of three defeats on the spin to reignite their unlikely charge for continental qualification.
Brentford find themselves in similar circumstances as they seek a final boost to their impressive campaign, albeit with the visit of high-flying Newcastle providing a stern test of their credentials.
Aston Villa are by far the EPL’s most upwardly mobile team, rocketing up the table since Unai Emery replaced the sacked Steven Gerrard as boss.
They could go as high as sixth if they can see off Nottingham Forest at Villa Park, with the visitors’ boss Steve Cooper back under the microscope following a dismal downturn in fortunes in recent weeks.
Leeds and Crystal Palace both returned to winning ways last time out, giving the pair precious breathing space above the bottom three.
Premier League salvation would move a big step closer if either side can come away from Sunday’s Elland Road contest with all three points.
English Premier League predictions for 8 – 9 April
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.
Manchester United v Everton
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | M. Rashford(Manchester United) |
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
| Result prediction | Aston Villa to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Aston Villa / Aston Villa to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | O. Watkins(Aston Villa) B. Johnson(Nottingham Forest) |
Brentford v Newcastle United
| Result prediction | Newcastle United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brentford / Newcastle United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Wilson(Newcastle United) A. Isak(Newcastle United) |
Fulham v West Ham United
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | M. Solomon(Fulham) |
Leicester City v AFC Bournemouth
| 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 |
Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | H. Kane(Tottenham Hotspur) A. Mac Allister(Brighton & Hove Albion) |
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Chelsea / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Southampton v Manchester City
| Result prediction | Manchester City to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Manchester City / Manchester City to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Álvarez(Manchester City) |