It’s no secret that the Premier League is all too happy to proclaim itself as the best league in the world. The legitimacy of that title is debatable at times, but not this season. In fact, the Premier League is in the midst of one of, if not the most exciting season in its entire history.
Not only has this year’s title race been one of the best and most closely contested in years, but even the race for the top four has also been incredibly captivating. And with only a handful of games remaining, all those races are on course to go right down to the wire.
With that said, here are some SBOBET predictions on how everything will eventually shake out in the final few weeks of the season.
Manchester City-Liverpool Title Race
Liverpool currently have the two-point lead over Manchester City atop the table. However, they have played an extra game on City, who still have six games remaining.
Liverpool’s last five matches are against Chelsea at Anfield, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Newcastle, and Wolves. Meanwhile, City still have Palace, Tottenham, Manchester United (at Old Trafford), Burnley, Leicester, and Brighton.
On paper, Liverpool have the easier run-in of the two. Obviously, their toughest test will come against Chelsea. But they will at least get to face them at Anfield, which has been a fortress this season. The Reds are undefeated at Anfield, with 14 wins and two draws in 16 games.
They should also get all three points from their games against Cardiff, Huddersfield, and Newcastle. Wolves will be a tougher test, but again, Anfield will serve as a significant advantage.
On the other side, City have three legitimately tough matches remaining against Tottenham, United , and Leicester. Spurs and United are both still in top-four race and will be gunning to take City down. And Leicester have been flying since Brendan Rodgers’ arrival and will look to end the season as impressively as possible.
Even City’s away matches against Palace and Burnley also have the potential to be somewhat tricky. Palace are the only team to date to defeat City at the Etihad in the Premier League this season.
How far both clubs go in the Champions League will also factor into the run-in. City are already in some trouble after a 1-0 defeat in the first leg against Spurs. Meanwhile, the Reds appear to have one foot in the door after a comfortable first-leg win over Porto.
But while Liverpool have had their some stumbles of late, their remaining schedule will play a major factor. It’s hard to see City not faltering at least once until the end of the season with their run-in. That should provide Liverpool with the opening they need to reclaim top spot — and the title.
Top 4 Race
The race for the final two Champions League spots is incredibly fierce. Chelsea have moved ahead to third for the time being, but they have played a game more than their three rivals. Spurs are currently in fourth, with Arsenal one point behind. And Manchester United are a further two points adrift of the Gunners.
Of the four, Chelsea have the toughest run-in. Apart from Liverpool, they also face Manchester United and Leicester away, and FA Cup finalists Watford at home in their final five matches.
Outside of the Man City match, Spurs have a relatively easy end-of-season run-in, with Huddersfield, Brighton, West Ham, and Bournemouth all ripe for the picking. However, Spurs will likely be without Harry Kane for the remainder of the season after he suffered an ankle injury against Man City, which is a huge blow.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have to deal with four more away matches against tricky opposition in Watford, Wolves, Leicester, and Burnley, which is not good. As far as Premier League 2019 betting tips go, one of the big ones is to not trust Arsenal away.
The Gunners’ away form has been absolutely horrific. They’ve won just two of their last 12 away from the Emirates in all competitions, with seven losses. They have also lost five and won just two of their last eight away matches in the Premier League.
That just leaves Manchester United, who do have tough matches against Man City and Chelsea in back-to-back weeks. Even their trip to Everton is looking dangerous after the Toffees’ recent home wins over Chelsea and Arsenal.
But at least their big matches against City and Chelsea will both be at Old Trafford, which is a big advantage for them. Meanwhile, their matches against West Ham, Huddersfield, and Cardiff should all yield maximum points.
However, it’s going to be tough to see United overtaking two clubs in the final few weeks. Arsenal’s chances of breaking in are also not great, considering how poorly they’ve been playing away from home.
That means despite Kane’s likely absence, Spurs should be able to hang on for a top-four spot along with Chelsea.
Relegation Race
Cardiff have put up a good fight for most of the season, but their Premier League 2019 results just haven’t been good enough. As a result, it appears as if they are as good as relegated.
The Bluebirds are still five points adrift of Southampton in 17th with six matches to go and have both Liverpool and Manchester United left on their schedule. So barring some unforeseen miracle, Cardiff are destined for the drop, joining Fulham and Huddersfield back in the Championship.
But in the absence of a compelling relegation battle at the bottom of the table, there is at least some intrigue at midtable.
Race For 7th
Behind the top six, there’s a four-team group — Leicester, Wolves, Everton, and Watford — battling for seventh spot, as well as the title of “best of the rest” in the Premier League.
The Foxes have suddenly overtaken Wolves for seventh thanks to their fine form of late. Since losing their opening match under Brendan Rodgers, Leicester have won four games on the trot. Everton have also come on strong of late to join that pack as Wolves and Watford have had some recent wobbles.
But Leicester’s run-in is quite difficult as they face Arsenal, City, and Chelsea in the final three weeks of the season. Watford also have to face those three teams in their last few matches.
Everton (Man United, Tottenham) and Wolves (Arsenal, Liverpool) also have some tough matches coming up against top-six opposition, which will only keep this race tight until the last few weeks.
In the end, though, Wolves should just have enough to claim seventh over those three. After their heartbreaking FA Cup defeat, they will likely have their sights set on being the “best of the rest” as consolation for what has been a terrific season.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
