The Premier League and two fierce races

Will Bournemouth qualify for the Champions League? Will Tottenham avoid a historic relegation? Who is the worst team this season? There's still so much to watch as the Premier League enters its final round of matches, with Arsenal already having secured the title.

Relegation battle: Tottenham are leading West Ham.

West Ham vs. Leeds and Tottenham vs. Everton are the first two notable matches of the final round, concluding this season's Premier League (all matches of the final round start at 10 PM on May 24th). The two home teams are battling for survival, with Tottenham currently two points ahead and a significantly better goal difference. A draw would be enough for Tottenham to secure their survival (unless West Ham wins by 12 goals or more). If West Ham doesn't win, Tottenham will also be guaranteed survival. The only scenario for Tottenham to be relegated is if they lose to Everton while West Ham wins against Leeds. And if that happens, it would be the biggest surprise of this season's Premier League. Tottenham is one of the teams that has never missed out on the Premier League (along with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Everton). There was a time when Tottenham's relegation threat was much more serious than it is now. But manager Roberto De Zerbi revived the team with a run of four consecutive unbeaten matches, overtaking West Ham.

Tottenham (right) currently holds the advantage in the relegation battle.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Neither Leeds nor Everton have any remaining objectives to fight for, and this is perhaps the most important detail in the final matches of the season (the difference: a Bournemouth team with remaining objectives drew, and even nearly beat Man City in the last round, helping Arsenal clinch the championship). It's highly likely that both West Ham and Tottenham will play with ease in their do-or-die match. Tottenham fans can hope their defense won't be too nervous, leading to frustrating goals conceded as has happened many times in recent rounds.

West Ham are an attacking team. They're playing at home and need to win, so they should easily take all three points against Leeds. Anything can happen. But at the outset, it's clear that Tottenham are in a much better position than West Ham in the relegation battle.

Nervous anticipation over the final Champions League spot.

Brighton and Bournemouth are fighting tooth and nail for the last Champions League spot next season. Ironically, it's still uncertain whether that last spot will even exist.

Aston Villa already qualify for the Champions League, having won the Europa League. If they maintain their current fourth-place position, England will waste a Champions League spot (the spot for the "number 4" team is not transferable). If Aston Villa drop to fifth place in the final standings, then the sixth-placed team will qualify for the Champions League (because the spot for the "number 5" team is an additional bonus for the Premier League, which can be transferred to another team if the "number 5" team doesn't need it).

For now, Bournemouth and Brighton must fight for sixth place (and hope Aston Villa drops to fifth). Bournemouth currently have a three-point lead over Brighton, but are behind on goal difference and have to play away at Nottingham Forest. Brighton have home advantage against Manchester United. Liverpool are currently fifth (three points behind Aston Villa but with a better goal difference) and have a 99% chance of qualifying for the Champions League. On one hand, Bournemouth must hope Liverpool beat Brentford at home while Aston Villa lose at Manchester City, allowing the fourth and fifth teams to reverse positions. On the other hand, Bournemouth must hope Liverpool lose to Brentford. In that case, Bournemouth could overtake Liverpool for fifth place by winning convincingly against Nottingham Forest. But this is extremely difficult, and also represents a 1% chance of Liverpool losing their Champions League spot.

In short, besides the two must-watch relegation battles – West Ham vs. Leeds and Tottenham vs. Everton – there are still four matches related to Champions League qualification (Manchester City vs. Aston Villa, Liverpool vs. Brentford, Brighton vs. Manchester United, Nottingham Forest vs. Bournemouth). If you're also interested in Europa League and UEFA Conference League qualification, then virtually every remaining match in the final round is worth watching. There's even a battle for pride at the bottom of the table. Burnley and Wolverhampton have already been officially relegated, yet they have the chance to face each other in the final round to see which team is the weakest this season (Burley, currently second to last, is two points ahead).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ngoai-hang-anh-va-hai-cuoc-dua-khoc-liet-185260522222454574.htm