The English Premier League battle is well and truly on as we enter the final calendar month of the season this weekend.
Bookending Saturday’s fixtures are title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
The high-class pair have put on yet another incredible show at the EPL summit, roaring clear of the competition months ago and with just a point separating them going into the final five matches of the season.
Both can expect awkward assignments away from home, too, as the chasing Reds look to return to the top away at resurgent Newcastle on Saturday lunchtime, in what would be the perfect way to celebrate the extension of Jurgen Klopp’s contract as head coach this week.
Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions cross the Pennines for the late kick off, facing a Leeds side that are piecing together their best run of the season to edge clear of relegation danger.
Desperate for a Yorkshire defeat are Everton, who host Chelsea at Goodison Park on Sunday mired in the drop zone.
Toffees boss Frank Lampard couldn’t half use a favour from the club where he holds legendary status, as the Blues head to Merseyside with a six-point buffer in third place.
A London derby pits two of the chasing pack against each other later on in the day, as West Ham and Arsenal start the weekend fourth and seventh respectively.
It’s the Gunners who are finishing the stronger, with the Hammers requiring a herculean effort at the former Olympic Stadium as they combine Premier League duties with an eye-catching run in the Uefa Europa League.
Tottenham could sneak above their north London enemies just before they kick off – and all-but knock David Moyes’ men out of the top four race – when they tackle Leicester across Hackney Marshes.
Spurs are seeking a first win in three for combustible boss Antonio Conte, while the Foxes sit slap-bang in the middle of the EPL table with little to play for.
Manchester United avoided a third straight defeat on Thursday night as a Cristiano Ronaldo goal bailed them out yet again against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are on home turf again on Monday night as they attempt to restore some dignity ahead of the arrival of Erik ten Hag as coach in the summer, with Brentford the visitors from the capital city this time.
Four Saturday afternoon fixtures will see blood pressure rising at Vicarage Road, as Burnley continue their remarkable battle to beat relegation against a Watford side that look doomed to the drop under Roy Hodgson.
Also departing for the Championship are Norwich, although they will fancy their chances as they go to Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, who have seen their form collapse entirely.
Wolves still have a shot at troubling the top six as they go up against Graham Potter’s unpredictable Brighton at Molineux.
And there’s a classic late season dead rubber at St Mary’s Stadium, with Southampton playing host to Crystal Palace.
English Premier League predictions for 30 April – 2 May
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.
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Newcastle | 15 | 17 |
| Liverpool | 74 | 69 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Southampton | 42 | 40 |
| Crystal Palace | 32 | 30 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Watford | 38 | 33 |
| Burnley | 36 | 42 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Wolves | 37 | 30 |
| Brighton | 36 | 31 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Leeds | 11 | |
| Manchester City | 78 | 78 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Everton | 19 | |
| Chelsea | 57 | 45 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Tottenham | 69 | 77 |
| Leicester | 13 | |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| West Ham | 23 | 38 |
| Arsenal | 56 | 53 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Manchester United | 57 | 77 |
| Brentford | 23 | 14 |