It was a big weekend for Newcastle United, who were the only side between 6th and 9th to take all three points as our 5-1 win over Sheffield was followed by draws for Man Utd, Chelsea and West Ham.
Below, I’ve looked at the current standings from sixth to ninth, the remaining fixtures for Newcastle, Man Utd, Chelsea and West Ham – the four main contenders for the European places – an how I see the
Premier League standings
- 6th: Man Utd – 54 points / +1 GD (34 games played)
- 7th: Newcastle – 53 points / +19 GD (34 games played)
- 8th: West Ham – 49 points / -9 GD (35 games played)
- 9th: Chelsea – 48 points / +4 GD (33 games played)
Remaining fixtures
Man Utd – Crystal Palace (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle (H), Brighton (A)
Newcastle – Burnley (A), Brighton (H), Man Utd (A), Brentford (A)
West Ham – Chelsea (A), Luton (H), Man City (A)
Chelsea – Tottenham (H), West Ham (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Brighton (A), Bournemouth (H)
West Ham have only three remaining games – and two of them are away to ‘big six’ sides – while Newcastle and Man Utd have four to play and Chelsea five, with their game in hand a home clash with Spurs on Thursday.
Predictions
First off, I can’t see West Ham (four points behind us) catching us with Chelsea and Man City to come in two of their last three games, leaving Man Utd and Chelsea as the key threats. Here’s how I see it going, as things stand.
Starting with Newcastle’s run-in, I think we’ll beat Burnley on Saturday. We’ve been really poor away from home and this is a cup final for the relegation-threatened Clarets, but it’s a must-win for them which could play into our hands on the break.
After that comes a home clash with Brighton; who have been in awful form of late, scoring once (and own goal) in their last five games. Like Spurs, Brighton commit men forward and will leave space in behind, which could play right into the hands of Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. I see us coming out on top here in our final home game of 2023/24.
Then comes two away games on the final week of the season. Man Utd have often been there for the taking at Old Trafford, but I think that one will end all square and I fancy the same outcome on the final day at Brentford; who are always tough to beat on their own patch.
That would mean 8 points from our final four games, taking us to 61 for the season. It would also mean an unbeaten run in our final four games – ambitious when three of them are away from home. The question is, will that be enough for sixth or seventh?
I fancy Man Utd to draw at Crystal Palace on Monday night, lose at home to Arsenal, draw with Newcastle and win on the last day at Brighton. They are very beatable, were booed off on Saturday, often ride their luck (which seems to be running out) and face some tough games over the run in. Should these predictions come true, they’d end the season on 59 points; two behind my projected total for Newcastle.
As for Chelsea, I can see them drawing against Tottenham on Thursday, beating West Ham this weekend, losing at Nottingham Forest and Brighton before a final day win at home to Bournemouth, taking them to 55 points.
Black and white bias aside, I feel our remaining fixtures give us the edge, but we’ll have to also hope Man Utd are beaten in the FA Cup final next month, as a win over Man City will guarantee them a Europa League Spot, meaning 6th must settle for Europa Conference.
How do you see it panning out with a few weeks of the season left to play?
