With Leicester City shaky, Chelsea remaining inconsistent and both Manchester United and Wolves extending their long unbeaten runs, the fight for Champions League qualification has intensified since the restart of the English Premier League on June 17.
The number of realistic contenders for the final two or three qualification spots has shrunk from seven to these four teams, and just three points are separating Leicester in third place and Wolves in sixth with six games left. The fixtures list might have thrown up two perfect final-day matches to settle the race, too.
Leicester vs. Man United and Chelsea vs. Wolves are likely to have so much riding on them on July 26 when the longest English season in history finally concludes.
And by then, it will be clear if a fifth-place finish will be enough to secure a place in the Champions League because second-place Manchester City will have learned if it has succeeded with a bid to overturn a two-year European ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has questioned whether his young side has the mentality to finish off the job after the team’s 1-2 loss to Everton that kept it winless since the restart.
“We’ve got the talent, but at this stage of the season, it’s about more than that,” Rodgers said after the most recent setback.
Leicester hosts Crystal Palace on Saturday and has matches against Arsenal, Sheffield United, and Tottenham before that potential decider against Man United at the King Power Stadium.
Results in the past week have summed up Chelsea’s inconsistency this season, with a win over Manchester City followed by a loss at relegation-threatened West Ham. Finishing the season with matches against Liverpool and Wolves puts extra pressure on Chelsea to get results from its next four fixtures, starting with a home match against Watford on Saturday.
Manchester United hasn’t lost in any competition since January 22, a run that incorporates 15 matches — eight of which were in the league. United’s defense has been equally impressive, with eight shutouts in its last 13 league outings.
“We are capable of creating chances and scoring goals, but the foundation for any team is at the back,” Solskjaer added.
The Premier League has announced fixtures for the two-match rounds between 14-22 July. England’s top-flight has had to give the original fixture list a shake-up due to the coronavirus. Liverpool has secured their title but the battle for Europe and fight for survival look like going to the final day.
The final day of the season will take place on July 26 with all games kicking off at 4 pm – TV channels are still to be determined and announced. But before that, there is plenty of football to be played that could set up quite the finale.
Meanwhile, in athletics, former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang has been banned for four years for a series of anti-doping violations – including using a fake photograph of an overturned lorry to justify a missed test.
- Sonko’s promises Nairobians more projects just to be relevant
- Women senators who fought over Ole Kina facing punishment
- Donald Trump Jr’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle is coronavirus positive
- Chelsea vs Watford: Team news, match facts and prediction
The double London Marathon winner and London 2012 bronze medallist was punished for four whereabouts failures between April 2018 and May 2019. Three such failures within 12 months lead to an automatic ban, however, the Kenyan had his sanction increased after it was ruled he had tampered with the investigation by providing “false evidence and witness testimony”.
