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Manchester United v. Fulham
Both of these teams' seasons are already over. Manchester United has clinched a top-4 Champions League qualification and will likely finish 2nd behind their cross town rivals and Champions, Manchester City. Fulham sits in 18th place in the Premier League and has already been relegated back down to the SkyBet Championship. Manchester United enters this game fresh off 2 losses, including one to their other rivals, Liverpool, where they gave up 4 goals. United still have a Europa League Final to play so you would have to think manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will use this match to tune up his squad and drill their tactics in one last time before a chance to play for silverware. Fulham being relegated means they will likely go out and run and gun it with a chance to play some fun football before they have to sell their best players to decrease their wage budget. Man U will go with their typical 4-2-3-1 while Fulham will play London’s new favorite formation, 3-4-2-1. With captain and top defender, Harry Maguire, out for United I think they are more susceptible to give up a goal or two in a game they will win regardless.
The Bet: Both to Score & Manchester United Win
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Fulham
Southampton v. Leeds United
Both of these teams are leveled in mid-table obscurity and have nothing left to play for. Southampton had a great first half of the season before a disastrous post-winter campaign that saw them have to barely avoid a relegation battle. Leeds had enjoyed a dream season for a newly promoted side, they avoided being in the relegation battle all year, something their fellow debutantes can not say. Interestingly for this game, Southampton has left Danny Ings on the bench. Ings is their top goal scorer and a clinical finisher but he is also just returning from injury so they might be being cautious. Leeds is rolling out an interesting looking 3-3-3-1 formation, something I have never seen before, but you can not doubt their tactically brilliant manager, Marcelo Bielsa. When two midtable sides with nothing to play for get together late in the season it's typically stat padding time for the forwards as the defenders, filled with intensity all year, start to take a few plays off and lower their hustling threshold.
The Bet: Both to Score & Over 2.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Southampton 1-2 Leeds
Brighton & Hove Albion v. Manchester City
Brighton enters this game fresh off a strong performance in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Saturday. Brighton is a team that ranks lower in the table than their play and quality would indicate and that showed in the draw against a West Ham team 10 spots above them in the standings. Brighton will consistently create strong scoring chances but their lack of clinicality from their forwards dooms them most games. Manchester City have already been crowned Champions of the Premier League and also have a Champions League Final upcoming. City rested a ton of players on the weekend where they won a 4-3 thriller over Newcastle United. Man City will return several key players to the field today including most of their back 4 and their top keeper, Ederson. Brighton will roll out a 3-4-3 lineup in an attempt to keep multiple players back to slow down City while also ensuring they have options up front to score, because 1 goal will not be enough to win this one. Manchester City will play their typical 4-3-3 with a false 9 striker. Ferran Torres is that man today, and despite being a bench player all year, he is fresh off a hat trick on the weekend. There is only one winner in a game like this and it is Pep Guardiola’s Champions.
The Bet: Man City to Cover 1 Goal
Prediction: Brighton 0-2 Manchester City
Chelsea v. Leicester City
This is an absolutely massive game. First of all, it is a rematch of the FA Cup Final from Saturday where Leicester took home the trophy with a 1-0 win at Wembley Stadium. Second of all, it has huge implications for Champions League Qualification. Both of these teams are competing for a top-4 finish that assures Champions League football next season and the exposure and money that comes with it. Chelsea are in 4th currently and sit 2 points behind Leicester but only 1 point above Liverpool. Leicester are in 3rd place and could get into a very comfortable spot with a win here at Stamford Bridge. For all the positives that Thomas Tuchel has brought to Chelsea the second half of the season, he hasn’t brought the clutch gene. Chelsea have faltered in big games recently including a loss to cross town rivals, Arsenal, and of course the Cup Final defeat just a few days ago. He needs to avoid defeat here tonight if Chelsea have any chance at holding on to the 4th spot in the table. Brandon Rodgers, on the other hand, has done very well in big games for Leicester recently. They defeated Manchester United 2-1 in Manchester and then followed that up with their first ever FA Cup Trophy. Chelsea will use their typical 3-4-2-1 formation as Christian Pulisic draws into the lineup, finally. The American is a dynamic attacker that is arguably Chelsea’s most dangerous player with the ball at his feet (Mason Mount might have something to say about that). Leicester will run out a 4-4-2 formation which is slightly different from what they normally use. Leicester have been using 2 strikers since the revelation of Kelechi Ihenacho, but he is not that man paired with Jamie Vardy today, instead that is the usual #10 James Maddison. I expect this game to be a cagey affair with both teams playing tight knowing that a loss is far more detrimental than a draw.
The Bet: Game to End in a Draw/Under 2.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Leicester City
