Premier League Betting Odds: Who Will Secure The Final Champions League Spots?
The 38th and final round of Premier League games take place on Sunday to end another drama-filled campaign.
There promises to be plenty of excitement surrounding which teams finish the season in the top five, which will secure a place in next season's Champions League.
Champions Liverpool and runners-up Arsenal are already assured of a place in the competition, but who will join them?
After beating Bournemouth 3-1 on Tuesday night in Kevin De Bruyne's final home game, Manchester City are favourites with football betting sites to secure one of the three remaining spots up for grabs.
Five clubs start the day with aspirations of featuring in Europe's elite club competition, but which two will miss out?
City Closest To Champions League Qualification
Not many people expected Manchester City to be fighting to qualify for the Champions League with one game remaining, but that's the situation they find themselves in.
Midway through the season, City's hopes of a place in the top five didn't look possible, but an improved second half of the season has seen Pep Guardiola's side finish strongly.
To avoid any last-day dramas, City know they will be back in the Champions League if they can beat Fulham, who they've beaten in their previous 17 meetings.
This may be City's first campaign without a trophy since the 2016/17 season, but qualification for the Champions League will soften that disappointment.
A draw at Craven Cottage should also be enough for City who are 1/25 on betting apps to secure a top-five finish this weekend.
Premier League Current Positions:
Position | Team | Played | Points | GD | Top 5 Odds | Betting Site |
3rd | Manchester City | 37 | 68 | +26 | 1/25 | |
4th | Newcastle United | 37 | 66 | +22 | 1/5 | |
5th | Chelsea | 37 | 66 | +20 | 4/7 | |
6th | Aston Villa | 37 | 66 | +9 | 5/4 | |
7th | Nottingham Forest | 37 | 65 | +13 | 4/1 |
Magpies Can Benefit From Home Advantage
Newcastle could not have asked for a better scenario to secure a place in the Champions League than a home game against a side who have nothing to play for.
St James' Park will be buzzing on Sunday if the Magpies can round off what has been a brilliant campaign, with a return to Europe's premier club competition for the second time in three seasons.
Manager Eddie Howe will be asking his players to replicate their Wembley performance against Liverpool when they won the Carabao Cup to end a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy.
Newcastle, who could drop out of the top five if they lose and Chelsea and Villa both win, are the 1/5 second-favourites to qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea Start Final Day In Fifth
Chelsea's celebrations after beating Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge showed that the players knew exactly how important those three points were.
It kept alive their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League and they start what promises to be a dramatic Sunday fifth in the table.
Chelsea's task has been made that little bit more difficult in the fact they have to travel to seventh-placed Nottingham Forest, who need to win to stand any chance of a top-five finish.
Sunday could be the start to a successful few days for the Blues, who face Real Betis in the final of the Europa Conference League on Wednesday night.
Will Chelsea travel to Poland knowing they will be back in the Champions League?
Enzo Maresca's side are 4/7 to retain their position in the top five.
Villa Need Help Elsewhere
Aston Villa are 5/4 with the best betting sites to qualify for the Champions League ahead of their final game of the season.
Unai Emery's side kept their hopes alive with a 2-0 win at home to Tottenham last time out, but they start the weekend sixth in the standings.
A trip to Old Trafford no longer holds any fear for opposition teams and Villa will travel to Manchester looking to pile more misery on Ruben Amorim's side.
United, who were beaten by Tottenham in the final of the Europa League, will miss out on European football next season and their final home game will be more like a wake.
Villa enjoyed a good run in this season's Champions League, only to lose to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals, and they will be hungry for more ties like that.
A Win Might Not Be Enough For Forest
For many weeks, it looked as though Nottingham Forest would be returning to Europe's elite club competition, but a late-season dip in form has left them seventh entering the final round of fixtures.
Forest were back-to-back European champions in 1979 and 1980, but they need a small miracle if they are to rub shoulders with the continent's best clubs.
Forest have scored first in 25 of their 37 league games and they might need to grab the opening goal if they are to beat Chelsea at the City Ground.
If they can do that, then they will be hoping for other results to go their way. Forest are 4/1 to produce a final-day miracle.
