European Leagues

Premier League title race enters decisive phase

With the Premier League title race reaching its climax, attention turns to the crucial remaining fixtures that will determine the destiny of the 2023–24 season.

As 20 teams gear up for the final sprint, analysis reveals intriguing insights into who holds the advantage and who faces an uphill battle in the pursuit of glory.

The race among the current top four contenders showcases a tight battle, highlighting the competitive nature of the league.

With just eight points separating table leader Liverpool, boasting 67 points, from Aston Villa, holding firm with 56 points, every match becomes pivotal in determining the ultimate outcome of the season.

In a season characterised by its unpredictability, the presence of game-in-hand fixtures has emerged as a crucial factor in the English Premier League standings.
Premier League title race outstanding games

Notably, while most teams are contending with one extra match to be played, Chelsea stands alone with the rare advantage of having two.

Among the clubs yet to fully capitalise on this opportunity are Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle, Brighton, Wolves, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Sheffield, all awaiting their respective additional matches to potentially shift the balance of power.

Currently, only Aston Villa, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, and Burnley have completed 30 games, providing them with a clearer picture of their standing as they navigate the final stretch of the season.

As the league approaches its climax, the significance of these remaining fixtures cannot be overstated, with every point potentially altering the trajectory of teams’ aspirations and determining their fate in the race for glory.
Last 10 Premier League winners

In the last ten seasons, Manchester City has won the Premier League title six times, Chelsea twice, and Liverpool and Leicester City have won it once each.

On Sunday, Liverpool beat Brighton to go top of the EPL table.

Manchester City failed to break down Arsenal as a highly-anticipated clash at the top of the Premier League failed to live up to the hype in a 0-0 draw at the Etihad on Sunday.

Liverpool seizes a crucial advantage with the most favourable remaining fixtures among title contenders.

Despite facing relatively tough schedules, all three contenders brace themselves for a nail-biting conclusion, hinting at twists and turns that could shape the final outcome of the season.

The run-in officially starts here, with the remaining fixtures set to decide who wins the 2023/24 Premier League title, who qualifies for Europe, and who avoids relegation.

So, with just nine matchweeks left, which teams have the “best” and “worst” fixtures?

PUNCH Online delves into the average points total of the remaining opponents for every team, unveiling insights into which clubs are poised for a late-season surge towards glory and which ones confront a formidable challenge to conclude the campaign on a high note.

According to data obtained from the Premier League website, the average points of the remaining opponents for Premier League teams vary significantly, offering insights into the challenges they may face in the run-in.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Newcastle has the most favourable average point of 33.5, followed closely by Everton at 34.2 and Brentford and Nottingham Forest sharing 35.4.

As the scale progresses, Burnley stands at 35.8, Fulham at 35.9, and Sheffield United at 37.0.

Manchester United also shares this average, indicating a moderate challenge ahead.

Moving up, Chelsea sits at 38.0, followed by Spurs at 38.8 and Liverpool at 38.9, showcasing a tougher road for these title contenders.

Further up, Bournemouth faces an average of 39.1 points, while Manchester City have 41.0 and Wolves have 41.5.

Arsenal, in pursuit of title aspirations, contends with an average of 42.3 points among its opponents.

West Ham and Luton share an average of 43.2, while Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Brighton face the toughest challenges with averages of 44.8, 44.9, and 45.1 points, respectively.

Title race fixtures club average

By implication, Newcastle United enjoys the easiest remaining schedule with an average of 33.5 points among their upcoming opponents, akin to facing a 14th-placed team in each match.

Conversely, Brighton & Hove Albion faces the toughest fixtures, with their opponents averaging 45.1 points, resembling matches against seventh-placed sides.

In the title race and before Sunday’s game, Liverpool enjoys the most favourable fixtures among the top three contenders, with their opponents averaging 38.9 points.

On the other hand, Arsenal face the toughest challenge, with their opponents averaging 42.3 points, slightly more daunting than those of third-placed Manchester City (41.0).

LaLiga

What To Look Out For As Barcelona Take On Atletico Madrid In Huge La Liga Clash

La Liga’s best attack vs La Liga’s best defence

Saturday’s match sees La Liga’s best attack go up against the division’s best defence in a huge match between Hansi Flick’s wobbling Barca and a red-hot Atletico.

The Catalans giants have bagged 50 goals in just 18 games this season – making them La Liga’s most prolific attack – but they were surprisingly kept out by Leganes last time out.

Atletico will hope to do the same on Saturday as La Liga’s best defence – which has conceded just 11 goals – comes to Montjuic.

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha will be the main goalscoring threats for Barcelona and will come up against a defence that may well include a familiar face.

Clement Lenglet is being tipped to start against his parent club as there’s no fear clause in his contract.

The Frenchman has made eight starts this season for Simeone’s side in La Liga, including last time out in the win over Getafe, and is enjoying life in Madrid at the moment.

The Yamal Factor

Barcelona will be without Lamine Yamal for the game which is a tremendous blow, particularly when you consider their poor record without the teenager this season.

The teenager is out with an ankle problem, giving manager Hansi Flick something of a headache ahead of the game when it comes to his line-up.

Yet it’s a game Flick really can’t afford to lose if his team are to go on and challenge for the title this season – as the stats show.

Ferran Torres currently seems to be the most likely option to come into the team after scoring four goals in five games since returning from injury. The only thing is, he seems much better as an impact sub than a starter.

The stats show that Atletico are currently the most in-form team in Europe after winning their last 11 games in a row, but they head to Barcelona with a terrible record. They have not won any of their last 18 away games against Barcelona and have not even scored in their last four games.

Watch out for Griezmann & Sorloth

Antoine Griezmann will take on his former club in spectacular form after scoring seven goals in his last six matches for Atletico. And some of those have been pretty special you have to say.

The Frenchman has never scored against his former team and will want to put that right on Saturday. In fact he’s scored against 29 of the 30 opponents he’s faced as an Atletico player in La Liga – with Barca the only team missing from that list.

Alexander Sørloth will also pose a threat, albeit most likely off the bench. The Norwegian has scored 24 goals in La Liga in 2024 – only Robert Lewandowski has more – and has netted more headed goals than anyone else in La Liga over the last 12 months.

Barca’s defence has looked a little insecure recently with Flick’s famously highline having been found out a little bit by opponents. Fatigue also appears to be an issue – but Barca know this is just one last push before a period of rest over Christmas.

European Leagues

David Moyes Drops Julen Lopetegui Sack Verdict As West Ham Prepare For Busy Festive Period

Ahead of the busy festive period of Premier League matches, former West Ham manager, David Moyes, has given his opinion on whether his successor, Julen Lopetegui, should be sacked by the Hammers after a poor start to his time at the London Stadium.

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The Scot left West Ham at the end of last season after the Premier League club had decided that there needed to be a fresh voice in the dressing room.

Julen Lopetegui perhaps wasn’t a universal choice and here we are a few months after his appointment with the West Ham manager one game away from the sack.

David Moyes’ strong opinion on Julen Lopetegui
David Moyes was almost Leicester City’s new manager, though in the end that job went to Ruud van Nistelrooy, and the Scot knows exactly what the pressure is like in the Hammers hot-seat.

It’s perhaps with that in mind that he’s given Lopetegui his backing.

“I watch West Ham all the time. Look, they’ve got a great group of players, a fabulous squad of players, lots of really talented players and I think they need to make sure they give everyone time, give the manager time to settle in there,” he said to Sky Sports.

“But overall you know, the league is difficult, the Premier League at the moment is so hard for, you know some of the teams that are doing so well this year are making it tough.

“But look, they’re beginning to pick up, they’re beginning to get some results West Ham so let’s hope that continues.”

Julen Lopetegui must turn West Ham’s form around

Moving forward, should West Ham continue to look to Lopetegui rather than replacing him in the dugout, the Spaniard has got to find the sweet spot and get things right with his team.

Though there’s no deadline that has been made public knowledge as to how long the club will give him before they decide to replace him, it’s clear results need to change sooner rather than later.

If not, Lopetegui could find that he goes the way of David Moyes and is eased out of the London Stadium exit door.

European Leagues

Manchester City In Injury Crisis As They Are Dealt Another MASSIVE Blow

Manchester City are officially in an injury crisis with five of their big stars now out for an unknown period.

The crisis deepened against St Polten in the Women’s Champions League with captain Alex Greenwood stretchered off the pitch with a suspected knee injury. Fans had to wait nervously for an update with concerns the injury is an ACL rupture.

However, the club have now confirmed Greenwood has had surgery on a medial collateral ligament in her knee which she is now rehabbing.

Manchester City: What has Gareth Taylor said about injuries?

City have also recently been without Bunny Shaw. Vivianne Miedema and Lauren Hemp are also out with knee injuries, while Chloe Kelly is returning to play after concussion.

Manager Gareth Taylor gave updates on the fresh injury concerns to Shaw and Greenwood.

Taylor said on Jamaica international Shaw: “I’m not too sure [what the injury is], we’ve had multiple scans on the area that she has the issue with, we’ll have to wait and find out. I don’t think we’ll see her until the new year which is a shame for us because she was in a really good vein of form.”

He had said on England international Greenwood, who won the Euros in 2022, before her injury was confirmed: “We’ll have to assess. Alex doesn’t normally come off unless it’s an issue, hopefully it’s nothing too bad because we could do without it, we’re missing so many players.”

City are also currently without Naomi Layzell and Sandy McIver. He added: “We’re really up against it player-wise.”

The club do not have anymore games left of 2024 with the WSL break now in place. The 14/15 December was the last round of the WSL until the league returns on 17 January.

The final games of 2024 saw City record back-to-back defeats to Everton and Barcelona.

The loss to Barca, which is FourFourTwo’s view would have been a lot worse had it not been for the saves of goalkeeper Khiara Keating, means City no longer top their group in the European competition.

The impact of this means they will face one of the group winners in the quarter-finals. The draw for those fixtures is taking place on the 7 February.

Barca are one of the group winners with Chelsea, Arsenal and Lyon the other three.