Newcastle face Arsenal with eye on Champions League

Six Premier League teams separated by six points are battling it out for the four remaining Champions League spots with two rounds of matches left and no team can rest easy, though they have all secured European football for next season.

Champions Liverpool are on a victory lap with nothing left to play for while the bottom three have all been relegated, leaving just the race for Europe’s premier club competition to be wrapped up as a gruelling season draws to a close.

Arsenal, long seen as title contenders before their challenge faded away amid a Champions League run, are no longer assured of second place but Mikel Arteta’s side still control their destiny ahead of Newcastle United’s visit on Sunday.

Newcastle are up to third and sit two points behind Arsenal, with Eddie Howe’s side tantalisingly close to finishing second in the Premier League for the first time in 28 years.

The side have shown a hunger to return to the Champions League, evidenced by their recent run of seven wins in nine games to move up from sixth place.

Only Liverpool have taken more points in the past 20 games while Newcastle also ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy when they won the League Cup.

“We’re on the road to what we want to do this season, but there’s still a lot of work to do and two tough fixtures to play,” Howe said.

“The size of the prize is huge, the players are aware of that. There was a worry when we won the trophy [League Cup] that there would be a negative consequence of that, but I think it actually gave us confidence.”

Arteta, meanwhile, has seen his Arsenal team share the spoils in 14 draws this season, while injuries and the suspension of Mikel Merino will force him to rejig a side who have won only one of their last six games.

Forward Kai Havertz has returned to training early after the club feared his season was over due to a hamstring surgery, but whether he is ready to play a part remains to be seen.

“I have full trust in all my players and we have full clarity in what we want to do,” Arteta said. “It will be a tough game and we want to secure the Champions League and the second spot as well.

“If you cannot be the best, then you have to be the best of the rest. That is very important.”

Manchester City are playing in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace this weekend and may find themselves outside the top five before they host Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Chelsea are two points behind City and welcome Manchester United, who have all but given up on their domestic season and have fielded second-string line-ups to focus on next Wednesday’s Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

But Enzo Maresca has no striker available with Nicolas Jackson suspended and Christopher Nkunku still sidelined with an injury as they look to retain their spot in the top five.

“We have been there all season and we are now there, for sure it can be a disappointment [if we do not qualify],” Maresca said.

Villa in the hunt

Sixth-placed Aston Villa reached the Champions League quarterfinals this season and manager Unai Emery would love nothing more than to qualify for the competition again.

Villa, who host a Spurs team with their minds on the Europa League final, are level with Chelsea on 63 points but have the worst goal difference among the teams vying for Europe, with seventh-placed Nottingham Forest in the mix a point behind.

“The first objective is to try to play in Europe again and we are feeling comfortable with the pressure we are setting ourselves,” Emery said.

The penultimate weekend also sees Everton looking to give Goodison Park, their home for 133 years, a fitting farewell when they host already-relegated Southampton in their 2,789th and final game at “The Grand Old Lady”.

“The game is almost playing second-fiddle and that’s nice,” Everton captain Phil Jagielka said. “Because a few seasons ago we would have been going into a game at this point of the season needing points [to avoid relegation].”

Leicester City will bid their talismanic striker Jamie Vardy a fond farewell when the 38-year-old plays his 500th game for the club in his last appearance at King Power Stadium.

Reuters