With just 8 games left in the Premier League, the battle for Champions League places for next season has started. Top teams are trying hard to confirm their place before the last match-day. Let’s have a look at the top seven teams out of which four will make it for Champions League next season.
Chelsea: Chelsea are top of the league and most probably they will finish the season there. They are 6 points clear of second place Manchester City and also have a game in hand. They have fairly 'easy' fixtures and are expected to win the league. They also have the best attack in the league.
Key Fixtures: vs Manchester United (H, 18 April); vs Arsenal (A, 26 April); vs Liverpool (H, 9 May).
Key Players: Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Cese Fabregas
Manchester City: The champions are 2nd in the league. They were expected to challenge for the title but their performances have been no-where near that of last season. Their position in the top four is in danger as they are only 2 points above fourth place United. A few more bad performances and they might drop further down the table. Still, they are favorites to finish second in the league. They must aim to cement their position before the last game-week as they face Southampton.
Key Fixtures: vs Manchester United (A, 12 April); vs Spurs (A, 2 May); vs Southampton (H, 24 May).
Key Players: Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Joe Hart
Arsenal: Whenever someone mentions Arsenal, the first thing that comes to my mind is a 4th place team. They play the best football in the league but still they are not title contenders. They are 7 points below leaders Chelsea. They still have to face Liverpool and Manchester United and any slip-up against these teams can put their position in jeopardy as both the teams are also chasing for top four.
Key Fixtures: vs Liverpool (H, 4 April); vs Chelsea (H, 26 April); vs Manchester United (A, 16 May)
Key Players: Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla
Manchester United: One can say they are the most improved team from last year. A year ago United were in quarter finals of the Champions League but were struggling domestically. They were hoping at-least for Europa League position but things did not worked out and they finished 7th. Now they are in 4th place and only 2 points behind 2nd placed Manchester City. The coming weeks will tell decide if Manchester United can finish in the top 4 as they will play City and Chelsea back-to-back. If they can keep the form they showed against Spurs and Liverpool, then they will give lot of problems to City and Chelsea.
Key Fixtures: vs Manchester City (H, 12 April); vs Chelsea (A, 18 April); vs Arsenal (H, 16 May)
Key Players: Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata
Liverpool: Before the defeat against Manchester United, Liverpool were the only Premier League team to be undefeated in 2015. The last match they lost was on 14th December. Since then they have changed their formation to 3 at the back and have been getting positive results. Against United they played well in second half and could have salvage a draw had Gerrerd not got a red card. They're in 5th, 5 points behind United. But unlike the top four teams, they only have two difficult fixtures.
Key Fixtures: vs Arsenal (A, 4 April); vs Chelsea (A, 9 May) Key Players: Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge
Southampton: Started the season brightly. They were in the top four till February but two back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and West Brom pushed them to sixth place and six points adrift of Manchester United. They have best defense record in Premier League conceding only 21 goals, 4 goals less than Chelsea who are second. They should be concentrating for Europa League as a top four spot looks a bit difficult for them.
Key Fixtures: vs Everton (A, 4 April); vs Spurs (H, 25 April); vs Manchester City (A, 24 May)
Key Players: Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane, Morgan Schneiderlin
Tottenham Hotspurs: They are seventh and have the same points as Southampton but have a vastly inferior goal difference. They are the last team to be expected to qualify for Champions League. Their defense can be shaky some times. Like Southampton they should also focus on Europa League. This season many times, they have rescued some late points. Their whole team is dependent on one player.
Key Fixtures: vs Southampton (A, 25 April); vs Manchester City (H, 2 May); vs Everton (A, 24 May)
Key Players: Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Hugo Lloris
Source: DSG
