Premier League Matchday 38: Relegation scrap goes down to the wire

Cian Cheesbrough

LiveScore

James Maddison's Leicester face a difficult task to avoid relegation

Just one of Everton, Leicester and Leeds can avoid relegation on a tense final day of the Premier League.

While that trio battle it out to avoid joining Southampton in the Championship next season, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Brentford will compete for a Europa Conference League place.

We preview all 10 games as a dramatic top-flight campaign reaches its conclusion.

Arsenal vs Wolves (Sunday, 4.30pm)

After falling short in the title race against Manchester City, Arsenal will look to finish an overall impressive campaign on a high at home to Wolves.

The Gunners have won their last three meetings with the Midlands outfit, having come out on top in just two of eight previously.

They have also won their final league game in each of the last 11 seasons, with Wolves ending their campaign with a defeat on the last five occasions.

Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel, Ben White and Bukayo Saka have played in all 37 of Arsenal's Premier League games so far this season. The last time the North Londoners had four players feature in every game of a campaign was in 1990-91.

Aston Villa vs Brighton (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Aston Villa will join Brighton in Europe next season if they beat the Seagulls at home.

A win for Unai Emery's men would guarantee seventh and therefore a Europa Conference League place, while a draw or defeat would leave them hoping Spurs and Brentford slip up behind them.

The Villans have lost only one of their last seven Premier League encounters with Brighton, including wins in each of their last three, and they are also enjoying a six-game winning streak at Villa Park.

Jacob Ramsey will look to celebrate turning 22 with a goal, while Danny Welbeck has five goal involvements in his last four outings on Matchday 38 of the Premier League (two goals, three assists).

Brentford vs Manchester City (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Brentford must beat champions Manchester City to have any chance of leapfrogging Villa and Spurs and secure European football for the very first time.

However, the Bees were the only side to beat City at the Etihad in the Premier League this season after running out 2-1 winners in November.

Only two teams have ever done the double over the Citizens during a title-winning season — Chelsea in 2013-14 and Tottenham last term.

Erling Haaland has scored five of City's nine league goals in London this campaign, while Bryan Mbeumo will look to add to his strong late-season record of six goals involvements in six games (four goals, two assists).

Bryan Mbeumo has enjoyed an impressive end to the season

Chelsea vs Newcastle (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Chelsea's miserable season continued with a 4-1 defeat at Manchester United on Thursday and they host another Champions League qualifier in Newcastle here.

The Magpies are looking to complete their first league double over the Blues since 1986-87, though they have won just one of their last 27 league trips to Stamford Bridge.

Kai Havertz (five) and Raheem Sterling (four) are the only two players to score more than one goal at home for the West Londoners this term, with a whopping 10 team-mates stuck on a solitary strike.

Eddie Howe's men can equal Newcastle's best ever record of 15 clean sheets in a single Premier League season, having done so in both 1993-94 and 2011-12.

Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Nottingham Forest can enjoy their trip to Crystal Palace safe in the knowledge they will be playing Premier League football next season.

Forest are unbeaten in their last seven top-flight meetings with Palace, while they have lost only two of their last nine league visits to Selhurst Park.

Eagles midfielder Eberechi Eze was handed a maiden England call-up this week. His 14 goals involvements this term (10 goals, four assists) are more than any of his team-mates.

The hosts have lost only one of their last nine league games at home and are unbeaten in their four since Roy Hodgson's return.

Everton vs Bournemouth (Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports)

Everton are the only team out of the three final-day relegation-battlers who still have survival in their own hands, with a win at home to Bournemouth enough to secure their top-flight status.

A draw or defeat to Gary O'Neil's men would leave the Toffees watching nervously over their shoulders though, with Leicester — who are two points behind — boasting a superior goal difference.

Sean Dyche's charges are without a win at Goodison Park in four games, losing their last three and scoring just three while conceding 11 in the process.

They have also lost their last three Premier League meetings with the Cherries but Evertonians can take solace in the 70 goals their opponents have shipped this term.

Everton are struggling for form at home ahead of the final day

Leeds vs Tottenham (Sunday, 4.30pm, BT Sport)

Leeds will secure an unlikely great escape if they beat Tottenham and both Everton and Leicester suffer defeats.

Should the Toffees draw their clash, the Whites will need to overcome Europa Conference League-chasing Spurs by a three-goal margin to avoid dropping down to the second tier.

They will at least take encouragement from the miserable away form their opponents are currently enduring.

Ryan Mason's men are without a win on their travels in seven games — losing five of those and conceding 21 goals.

Leicester vs West Ham (Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports)

Win or bust is also the assignment for Leicester in their home clash with West Ham.

The 18th-placed Foxes are without a victory in five games but a 0-0 draw with Newcastle on Monday gave Dean Smith's men a slight boost in their hopes of a final-day escape.

Leicester have won their last game of the season in just one of the last seven campaigns, although that did come in 2021-22 in a 4-1 win over Southampton.

West Ham's Jarrod Bowen has had a hand in five goals in his five Premier League games against the East Midlands side (three goals, two assists).

Manchester United vs Fulham (Sunday, 4.30pm)

United's 4-1 victory over Chelsea secured a top-four finish in Erik ten Hag's maiden campaign as they look to extend their impressive home record this term against Fulham.

The Red Devils have not lost a league clash at Old Trafford since the first game of the season against Brighton, subsequently going on to win 14 and draw three at the Theatre of Dreams.

Marco Silva's Fulham have also enjoyed a season to remember, with their first Premier League top-half finish since 2011-12 already secured.

Aleksandar Mitrovic returns to the scene where he was retrospectively handed an eight-game ban after pushing a referee in an FA Cup quarter-final defeat in March. The Serbian has 14 goals this term, including three in his last two.

Southampton vs Liverpool (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Relegated Southampton's last Premier League game for at least a season is at home to Liverpool, who have missed out on the top four for the first time in Jurgen Klopp's tenure.

The team finishing bottom of the Premier League has won their concluding clash in just one of the last 20 campaigns.

James Milner will make his 16th appearance on the final day of a Premier League season should he feature in his last game for the Reds.

That would be the joint-most ever in the competition alongside Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher and Gareth Barry.

Mohamed Salah has an extraordinary record of 17 goal involvements in 14 league games since the start of March (11 goals, six assists).

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