Mikel Arteta outsmarted his former mentor this weekend as Arsenal stunned Man City at Wembley to reach a record 21st FA Cup Final.
The Gunners return to Premier League action in midweek as they head up to the Midlands for a game Aston Villa simply need to win to stand any realistic hope of avoiding an immediate return to the EFL Championship.
It’s make-or-break time for Villa.
Can they step up against the galvanised Gunners?
Here are our Premier League predictions as the penultimate round of games continue…
Premier League Predictions – Midweek Preview – Gameweek 37
Monday 20th July
BRIGHTON VS NEWCASTLE, 18:00
While many will view this game as a ‘dead rubber’ given Brighton’s six-point advantage over Aston Villa, Seagulls boss Graham Potter won’t want to take any chances as he seeks the one point the Seagulls need to officially rubber-stamp safety.
Potter may be tempted to go on the offensive with the Magpies facing an unprecedented injury crisis, with one only fit centre-back to call on and star man Allan Saint-Maximin set to be sidelined.
Nevertheless, beyond 10-goal man Neal Maupay, the Seagulls continue to struggle for goals and may sit in for the point they need if it looks to be on offer tonight.
Verdict: Brighton 1-1 Newcastle
SHEFF UTD VS EVERTON, 18:00
In a season of highs, it was a rare low last time out for Sheffield Utd as a low-energy display away at Leicester saw Chris Wilder’s Blades slip to a 2-0 defeat.
Wilder has shown throughout this campaign that he’s not a man to make excuses, and after reading the riot act to his players, the Utd boss will be expecting his team to sign off their campaign at home with three points.
Another man awaiting a response from his side is Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti. The Toffees boss won’t have been impressed by another lacklustre display from his Toffees team at home to Aston Villa, despite Theo Walcott’s late strike salvaging a point. Defeat here could really accelerate his summer clear-out plans.
Verdict: Sheff Utd 2-1 Everton
WOLVES VS CRYSTAL PALACE, 20:15
Wolves’ top four hopes are dead in the water, but another tilt at the Europa League still looks in play – provided they manage to ease past a woefully out-of-form Crystal Palace. Nuno will be acutely aware that anything less than three points could see Sheff Utd, Burnley or Arsenal snatch a top seven berth away from them, given a trip to FA Cup finalists Chelsea awaits on the final day.
Storm clouds are gathering around Roy Hodgson and his long-term future at Crystal Palace, with the Eagles arguably the victim of his own success in all but securing safety for the Eagles prior to lockdown.
Beside a first week win over Bournemouth, the former England fan has failed to get a tune from Palace since the restart. With improving Spurs to come on the final day, they could be in real danger of ending the season on an eight-game losing streak if they lose this one.
Verdict: Wolves 2-1 Crystal Palace
Tuesday 21st May
WATFORD VS MAN CITY, 18:00
Watford – the biggest soap opera in the Premier League?
Even the EastEnders scriptwriters would have a tough time matching the high-stakes drama that regularly comes out of Vicarage Road, with Nigel Pearson’s shock departure on Sunday throwing their final-week preparations into chaos.
Axing the popular Pearson looks to be a desperate last throw of the dice by the trigger-happy Watford board, but with Man City and Arsenal to come this week, an immediate bounce looks beyond any manager, never mind the inexperienced caretaker duo of Hayden Mullins and Graham Stack.
It remains whether to be seen whether the Hornets will install a new man this week – after all, they often change their mind – but Pearson’s departure hardly looks ideal preparation as they look to accumulate the points they need to avoid waiting on other’s results.
Man City may not be in overly charitable mood given their semi-final exit from this season’s FA Cup on Saturday night, and the head-to-head record leaves the Hornets little room for encouragement – with 2007 the last time the home side took even a point off this season’s runners-up.
Verdict: Watford 1-3 Man City
ASTON VILLA VS ARSENAL, 20:15
After agonisingly missing out on all three points at the death against a below-par Everton, Villa could be facing their last stand on Tuesday night. Dean Smith’s side urgently need to brush off that disappointment as they welcome a buoyant Arsenal to Villa Park with a cup final to look forward to at the end of this season.
Little lapses of concentration have let Villa down all season, and that proved their downfall yet again at Goodison Park as Theo Walcott stole in with a rare header to deny the strugglers all three points.
That Villa defence will need to be fully switched on against Arsenal, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looking back to his clinical best against Man City, but Smith’s side will surely need to take some risks given their perilous situation.
The scheduling has at least been kind on Villa, who will know exactly what they will need to do before kick off. A heavy defeat for Watford against City would mean a battling draw here would give them a realistic chance of surviving on the final day if they can snatch a win at West Ham while Arsenal beat Watford.
Verdict: Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
Wednesday 22nd July
MAN UTD VS WEST HAM, 18:00
The Solskjaer Renaissance suffered its first major reverse in months at the weekend as Chelsea eased past an error-strewn Man Utd to end any hope of silverware for the Red Devils this season.
The Norwegian will now be desperate to secure a top four slot to at least end a much-improved campaign on a high, and with Leicester looking decidedly off-the-pace against Spurs, Utd can put themselves in the box-seat against a West Ham side that could be officially safe by Wednesday night.
The Hammers have lost just one of their last four Premier League fixtures against Utd, but it’s over 13 years since their last league win at Old Trafford.
Verdict: Man Utd 2-0 West Ham
LIVERPOOL VS CHELSEA, 20:15
The penultimate round of games is rounded off at the home of the champions as Liverpool host Chelsea.
The Reds are officially ‘on the beach’ now after any hope of usurping Man City’s 100-point record were extinguished in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, but Jürgen Klopp’s side can still play a pivotal role in the top four race by making life difficult for top four contenders Chelsea.
Frank Lampard can look forward to his first big outing as Blues manager after steering his side to the FA Cup Final, but it’s back down to business on Wednesday night with Champions League qualification on the line.
Given rivals and Leicester and Man Utd will be at loggerheads on the final day, Lampard could well be tempted to play for the point here.
Verdict: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
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