After 38 rounds of games, 11 months and countless VAR debates, we finally wave goodbye to the 2019/20 Premier League season this Sunday.
It’s going to be a day of high drama at both ends of the table… but will there be any late twists as the clock ticks down?
It’s time for our final set of Premier League predictions…
Premier League Predictions – Final Day Predictions
Sunday 26th July (all 16:00)
ARSENAL VS WATFORD
Is it one mad season too far for Watford?
The Hornets have been stung with plenty of criticism over the years for their rabid ‘hire and fire’ policy. However, up until now they’ve had the watertight defence that it’s a strategy that works, with a bounce arriving just in time to see them ease away from the relegation fray.
That luck could be about to run out after a disastrous week that saw notable escape artist Nigel Pearson leave the club. The burden of keeping Watford in the Premier League landed on the inexperienced duo of Hayden Mullins and Graham Stack, who can hardly be faulted for falling victim to a Man City attacking masterclass in midweek. That thrashing eroded Watford’s points and goal difference leverage over Aston Villa, and Watford now look to have the hardest ask of all the relegation battlers this weekend to preserve their status.
Arsenal continue to be wholly unpredictable despite improving under Mikel Arteta, and the Hornets will be hoping it’s the off-colour version that appear at the Emirates.
Troy Deeney will be hoping some of his previous comments don’t come back to haunt him.
Do his beloved Watford have cojones?
We’re about to find out…
Verdict: Arsenal 2-0 Watford
BURNLEY VS BRIGHTON
It’s the game with the strongest claim to be last up on Match of the Day this weekend, but both sides are unlikely to care too much given both will be enjoying another season of top-flight football in 2020/21.
The away side should look to Burnley as a model to emulate as they bid to move away from being perennial strugglers, with Graham Potter achieving his first objective in retaining Brighton’s status while evolving their playing style. The Clarets will be looking to seal a second top eight finish in three years after another impressive campaign for Sean Dyche.
Verdict: Burnley 1-0 Brighton
CHELSEA VS WOLVES
Chelsea are still sweating on a top four finish after their ding-dong battle with champions Liverpool ultimately ended in a 5-3 defeat. That result could leave them vulnerable in the race for the Champions League, should they fall to defeat at home and rivals Leicester pull out a last-gasp win to beat Man Utd on the last day.
It’s set to be a nervy afternoon at Stamford Bridge, given Wolves’ propensity to punish teams on the counter and raise their game against high-profile opposition. The away side are assured of a top seven finish, but seventh place might not be enough for European football should Arsenal win the FA Cup.
Verdict: Chelsea 1-0 Wolves
CRYSTAL PALACE VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Crystal Palace have simply been playing for pride since the restart – not that you’d know that, with the Eagles closing in on a woeful eight-game losing streak to end a 2019/20 season that at one stage looked promising.
Roy Hodgson will be desperate to avoid heading into the pre-season with that stat circling his pre-season preparations, but his Eagles face a Spurs side that finally look to be enjoying life under Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese was successful in his side mission of lifting Spurs above deadly rivals Arsenal and avoiding ‘St Totteringham’s Day’ for another season, but a possible top six finish would represent a job well done despite the nagging doubts around his appointment.
Verdict: Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
EVERTON VS BOURNEMOUTH
Bournemouth know what they have to do. It’s three points or Championship football for Eddie Howe and his side next season.
In many ways, that lack of wriggle room could help clear minds for a team fighting for their lives on the final day. With the Cherries defence shipping over 60 goals for a fifth successive season, having to go for broke at Goodison Park might just play in their favour. Everton’s form has been distinctly patchy since the restart, which suggests Bournemouth aren’t without hope as they travel to Merseyside.
Can Carlo Ancelotti rouse his players one final time before his expected summer rebuild to send the Cherries spiralling into the Championship? If Everton look as listless as they have in recent displays, nerves could be jangling in Birmingham and Hertfordshire.
Verdict: Everton 1-1 Bournemouth
LEICESTER CITY VS MAN UNITED
After looking the team to beat since the restart, it’s been a disappointing seven days for Man Utd after an error-strewn collapse against Chelsea in the FA Cup and a laboured 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Nevertheless, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can sign off from his first full season as Utd manager with credit in the bank if he can confirm the Red Devils’ participation in next season’s Champions League by claiming the point they need to make sure on Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers has some soul-searching to do this summer. Leicester have been a shadow of the side that lit up the first half of the season, with the Foxes’ form tailing off even prior to the league’s suspension. That inquest will be much easier if he can use all of his famed motivational skills to lift the Foxes to one final win – one that would see them snatch that sought-after top four finish.
Verdict: Leicester City 1-1 Man Utd
MAN CITY VS NORWICH CITY
Pity poor Norwich City. The Premier League’s bottom side are heading for their record low points tally, have lost every single game since the restart, and finished their last home fixture of the season with nine men by half time.
So what does the fixture computer do on the final day?
It sends the shellshocked Canaries to a Man City side that have scored four goals or more in three of their last four league games.
It could be a long afternoon for the East Anglians.
Verdict: Man City 4-0 Norwich City
NEWCASTLE UNITED VS LIVERPOOL
For Premier League romantics, this match always brings back fond memories, but Sunday’s final day showdown is unlikely to have the drama riding on it of previous encounters, given Liverpool’s title formalities ended with the long-awaited trophy lift on Wednesday night.
Steve Bruce has proved his sceptics wrong after a comfortable if not exactly enthralling season for the Magpies.
This could well prove to be his swansong as manager of his beloved hometown club – but it might be an awkward long goodbye rather than a happy ending.
Verdict: Newcastle Utd 0-2 Liverpool
SOUTHAMPTON VS SHEFF UTD
Two managers who would be worthy candidates for Premier League Manager of the Season if it weren’t for one Jürgen Klopp pit their wits against each other on the South Coast.
Don’t expect either to go easy on their players, however, with Ralph Hasenhüttl and Chris Wilder’s forensic approaches resulting in positive campaigns for two sides expected to be in the thick of the relegation battle 11 months ago.
Sheff Utd could achieve their highest finish since 1975, when they finished 6th in the old First Division.
Verdict: Southampton 1-1 Sheff Utd
WEST HAM UTD VS ASTON VILLA
It’s game on for Dean Smith and Aston Villa after their best week of the season. Talk about timing.
Watford’s heavy defeat at the hands of Man City, tied with the Villains’ battling win over FA Cup finalists Arsenal, means Villa have the one thing all relegation-threatened sides can ask for on the final day – their fate in their own hands.
Their cause was arguably helped by West Ham’s own spirited display in drawing with Man Utd in midweek. That result officially leaves the Hammers with nothing to play for on Sunday – which could leave Villa setting the tempo in this one.
The two sides played out a drab draw in the reverse fixture.
Given games elsewhere, a repeat might just be enough for Villa to secure a famous great escape after looking doomed this time last week.
Verdict: West Ham Utd 0-0 Aston Villa
Our projected final 2019/20 Premier League table…
Credit: worldfootball.net
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