 |
| Manchester City is the new favorite for the title after the other two musketeers lost last weekend, how will the weekend shape the table? (Photo credit: The Athletic) |
Manchester City and Arsenal both crashed out of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, bringing an end to the possibility of the English League getting an automatic fifth spot in the competition next season.
West Ham could earn a Champions League qualification if they overturn their first-leg defeat at Leverkusen in the second leg on Thursday, with Aston Villa also fighting for success in the Europa League.
The first-leg heavy loss at Anfield to Atalanta is a big ask for Liverpool to overturn in Italy on Thursday, but trust Jurgen Klopp to go for it with his boys; they did it once in the past against Barcelona, and they can do it again in Italy.
While it doesn’t bode well for the representatives of the English Premiership to crash out of European competitions at the quarter-final stage, it might offer us a grand finale to the season on domestic fronts, with the top three only separated by two points.
Liverpool and Arsenal lost over the weekend to hand the reigning champions the driving seat with just five games to go. With the heartbreak at the Etihad on Wednesday night in the penalty shootout, could City be angry and ready to feast on domestic rivals?
Arsenal’s season is in tatters; they have lost out in the Champions League and are not in any position to drop any further points in the league if they want to win, while also hoping someone helps them to impede Manchester City in any of their remaining five.
Arsenal has Chelsea, Spurs, and Manchester United in their remaining five fixtures, with Wolves and Everton completing the rest; on the evidence of their last three games, Arsenal are now the least favourite for the title.
Liverpool’s season could still end on a high even if they don’t overturn the Europa League deficit. The Kops have a relatively easier run-in than Arsenal, but they need to either score more goals than the Gunners or hope Arsenal slips so they can move into second and then wait on City to slip too.
For the Champions, they just need to do what they have always done: win the remaining five, and they’re champions. They don’t need to bother about what the other two are doing; they have the title in their hands, and they should see it through.