Race for the 5 Top 4 places...

It is an interesting week in the fight for the Champions League places.

Arsenal go to Old Trafford on Sunday. No matter how bad Manchester United are, it will be a difficult game. Could Chido come back to haunt us? Obviously we have had 2 extra days, and a far more fun midweek experience, so that should benefit us.

The *BIG* game in the fight for CL places is Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City - 3rd vs 4th.
Forest have hit a tough spell, with only 2 wins in 7. They did smash Brighton 7-0 in that spell and last time out got a 0-0 with 2nd placed Arsenal. A 5-0 hammering to Bournemouth and a disastrous first half vs Newcastle has seen them fall behind Arsenal and back into the pack.
City are showing good signs of return to form - and are without the shackles of Champions League so can concentrate on getting Champions League football. Good wins against Newcastle (4-0), over bogey-side Spurs (1-0) and Chelsea (3-1) have come alongside hefty defeats against Arsenal (5-1) and Liverpool (2-0) as well as that Real Madrid disappointment.
Forest will make it tough, but I can only see an away win here, in the TNT 12:30 Saturday kick off.

Sitting in 5th, Chelsea have their second gimme in succession. Following their 4-0 walkover against Southampton, they face piiiiss poor Leicester. That win over the Saints put them back on track after defeats to Villa and Brighton.
Hard to see anything but a big Chelsea win here - a result that would put them 3rd if the Forest game is a draw. The game is Sunday at 2pm.

With a cup final perhaps distracting them, an ever increasing injury and suspension list is not what Newcastle United need. Lewis Hall is the latest on the sidelines, joining Anthony Gordon who is suspended after his idiotic red card. The Geordies have to wait until Monday night to play, and face a West Ham side in good form after back to back wins over Arsenal and Leicester City.
With cup competitions overshadowing the league, Newcastle have lost 4 of the last 6 in the league and went out of the FA Cup last weekend.
I can see this ending in a draw.

Bournemouth are another side who have hit a sticky patch. They have lost the last 2 in the league, and 3 of the last 4. Like many of the teams around them, Southampton have provided the win for the top 5 chaser. Bournemouth face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, in Skys early game, with Spurs having a fair few of their injured players back - including ex-Cherry Dom Solanke. Spurs had a Thursday night game, so tiredness could be a factor for them, and Spurs home form isn't pretty while Bournemouth are one of the best away teams in the league this season.
Going for a home win though.

Brighton and Hove Albion are the form team in the league, and also going well in the FA Cup. They host 9th placed Fulham, with a winner being very much in the fight.
Wins over top 5 rivals Chelsea and Bournemouth in the last 3 (along with the obligatory Southampton win) has put Brighton back in contention, and no-one else has picked up 9 points in the last 3 games.
Fulham, 9th but just 6 points off 3rd, are still in the hunt and have won 3 of the last 4 - including beating Forest and Newcastle.
Tough to call this Saturday 3pm game, but I am going for Brighton to make it 4 out of 4.

11th hosts 10th on Saturday evening, with Brentford probably out of the top 5 race on 38 points - 8 behind 5th placed Chelsea. Aston Villa, level with Fulham on 42, will still think they are in the hunt, but the distraction of CL (and FA Cup) could affect them.
A good away win on Tuesday for Villa puts them in a strong position in their last 16 match. Brentford's great early season home form has disappeared a bit recently - 6 games without a win at the Community Stadium. However, I think they will make it hard for Villa and come away with a point.

Other games this weekend:
Crystal Palace vs Ipswich (Sat 3pm)
Liverpool vs Southampton (Sat 3pm)
Wolves vs Everton (Sat 8pm)


Current points in the race for top 5:
Arsenal - 54
Forest - 48
City - 47
Chelsea - 46
Newcastle - 44
Bournemouth - 43
Brighton - 43
Fulham - 42
Aston Villa - 42