One other crunch week within the Premier League Title Race awaits Manchester Metropolis after the large 4-1 win over Arsenal midweek on the Etihad. I’ll look forward on the upcoming weeks fixtures and the potential title ramifications of the week forward.
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— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) April 26, 2023
Fulham (a)
First as much as start the crunch week is a go to to Craven Cottage to tackle Fulham. Fulham have by far exceeded expectations this season upon their promotion again to the Premier League to lie tenth within the desk, and at occasions have performed some incredible soccer this season.
It’s a credit score to Fulham supervisor Marco Silva & his employees & gamers that they’ve carried out so properly this season, so this conflict at Craven Cottage received’t be a straightforward one for Pep Guardiola’s males on the again of the resounding win over Arsenal.
This recreation does have the texture of a possible banana pores and skin for me, and Manchester Metropolis will should be at their greatest to get out of Craven Cottage with all three factors.
In mid February Metropolis adopted a 3-1 win on the Emirates with a 1 all draw away at Nottingham Forest. Whereas Metropolis dominated that recreation on the Metropolis floor, the failure to take probabilities on that day proved pricey and Metropolis dropped 2 factors that day towards Forest.
That was the final time Manchester Metropolis dropped factors within the league, so one other huge efficiency can be wanted towards Fulham to capitalise on the momentum from the Arsenal win, and to arrange the crunch week forward.
Little doubt Guardiola can have his squad up for this recreation, so three factors is important right here as all factors are at this level of the season, particularly in shut title race.
West Ham (h)
Following the journey to Craven Cottage is a house recreation on the Etihad towards West Ham. West Ham haven’t lived up expectations this season, and lie fifteenth within the desk, simply 5 factors above the relegation zone, and are available on the again of 4-3 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
West Ham underneath David Moyes nonetheless possess a squad with loads of match winners and proficient gamers, regardless of their low league place.
Gamers like Danny Ings, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Stated Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Declan Rice on paper are lots higher then their low place on the league desk, and also you’d suppose they’d be up for recreation given the necessity for West Ham to provide themselves respiration house from the relegation zone and scrap.
West Ham additionally just lately got here from 2 targets all the way down to get some extent at dwelling towards Arsenal, so they’re able to getting a end result towards the massive sides on their day.
I’m anticipating a tricky recreation at dwelling on this one, particularly with the fixture congestion and video games for Metropolis each 3/4 days.
This could be a recreation the place the result’s extra essential then the standard of efficiency, and it’s the second recreation of an enormous week of Premier League fixtures.
Leeds United (h)
Lastly to finish the crunch week of Premier League fixtures can be a house conflict subsequent Saturday towards Leeds United.
Leeds will come into the conflict subsequent weekend needing all of the factors they will get given their precarious place within the desk, sitting sixteenth and 1 level above the relegation zone on the time of writing.
Leeds have shipped targets of late, with the 6-1 loss at dwelling to Liverpool and the 5-1 loss to a resurgent Crystal Palace contemporary within the reminiscence.
Leeds squad does have the texture of not fairly being ok to keep up its place within the Premier League this season, however no video games are a formality at any level of the season, particularly this late on with each recreation an enormous one for groups in conditions like Leeds United, or in conditions like we discover ourselves in at Manchester Metropolis contending for the title.
Conclusion
In conclusion for me this week forward appears like an enormous second within the title race. If we sit right here every week from now with Manchester Metropolis having picked up 3 extra wins to proceed the incredible current run we’ll properly positioned to safe three consecutive Premier League titles.
A draw or worse in any or extra then 1 of the three huge video games forward might properly open the door or preserve it ajar for Arsenal to maintain contact with Manchester Metropolis within the title race.
Arsenal have their very own huge video games forward this week, however that’s their downside and never one thing I’m going to the touch on right here.
Right here’s hoping the Manchester Metropolis finish of season surge continues this upcoming week, and units us up for enormous closing 4 video games of the Premier League season.
This weeks three video games additionally lead into the Champions League Semi Last first leg away on the Bernabeu towards Actual Madrid, however we’ll contact on that recreation nearer to the tie. Now is just not the time of the season to look to far forward.
So convey on Fulham and one other huge week awaits.
