Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City

A tasty-looking midweek Premier League clash pits Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City against each other at the Amex Stadium.

Inspired by Evan Ferguson’s double, Brighton sealed a 3-1 home win over southern rivals Southampton at the weekend to cement a first-ever European qualification with two games to spare. One point in the last two rounds will suffice to catapult the ‘Seagulls’ into next season’s Europa League, yet a patchy five-game league form (W3, L2) suggests they’ll likely have to wait until the final weekend. Adding to this sentiment, Roberto De Zerbi’s men have suffered ten defeats in their 11 previous Premier League meetings with Man City (W1), losing the last three on the bounce via multi-goal margins. Furthermore, Brighton have emerged victorious in just one of their seven top-flight encounters against sides starting the round at the top of the table (L6). But if you’re a fan of omens, that solitary success came at the expense of non-other than City.

Even before Pep Guardiola’s second-string line-up edged out a downtrodden Chelsea side 1-0 last weekend, Man City had a third consecutive Premier League title in the bag, courtesy of Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest. But it takes nothing away from the visitors’ inexorable march toward a fifth league title in six years, as they’ve won 12 successive top-flight fixtures to get there. Playing on Wednesday (European time) invokes happy memories, considering the ‘Citizens’ have won their last 25 Premier League outings on this day by an outrageous aggregate scoreline of 68-11. Adding to their impressive scoring tally in Wednesday’s’ Premier League fixtures looks like a near-certainty here, with Man City averaging a whopping three goals per game in their 11 top-flight meetings with Brighton.

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Real Sociedad vs Almeria

Real Sociedad and Almeria are set to face off against each other in contrasting La Liga circumstances at the Reale Arena.

Real Sociedad’s inexorable march toward a first Champions League qualification since 2013/14 took a massive stride at the weekend as they edged out newly-crowned champions Barcelona 2-1 to extend their unbeaten league streak to six matches (W4, D2). After becoming the first Spanish side to triumph at Camp Nou this season, ‘La Real’ come into midweek proceedings harboring a five-point lead on fifth-placed Villarreal. Victory over sub-par Almeria would likely seal the deal for Imanol Alguacil’s men, who are unbeaten in their last seven home league outings (W4, D3) since a 1-0 defeat to Valladolid in early February. Despite netting by far the fewest goals among sides starting this matchday in the top four (47), Sociedad can draw confidence from scoring precisely twice in their last five home games.

In the meantime, Almeria’s problems with inconsistent performances could still come back to haunt them after their last five La Liga matches alternated between victories (3) and defeats (2). The visitors boast a four-point lead on 18th-placed Valladolid at the start of this round, meaning they’re not off the hook yet, especially considering their penchants for dropping points away from home. Alongside dead-last Elche, ‘Los Rojiblancos’ are the joint-poorest La Liga travelers this season, having amassed a mere seven points across their 17 league trips thus far (W1, D4, L12). And with that solitary win coming at fellow relegation rivals Getafe, Almeria’s prospects of defying the odds in San Sebastian look rather far-fetched. Adding to this sentiment, since defeating Getafe in late April, Rubi’s men have lost back-to-back away matches by an aggregate score of 7-3.

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Celta Vigo vs Barcelona

Girona’s pursuit of a first-ever European qualification continues at the Estadio de Balaidos as they meet bottom-half Celta Vigo in a must-win clash.

An underwhelming four-game losing league run, bookended by a 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, has left Celta Vigo’s survival hopes in shatters, leaving them only four points clear of the relegation zone, with three games left. Despite Carlos Carvalhal’s effort to settle the nerves in his ranks in the build-up to this fixture, anything other than victory could throw Celta’s season into further disarray. However, his men have blown hot and cold in their last four league outings on home turf (W1, D1, L2), with 23 of their 39 La Liga points this season coming at Balaidos. Despite performing far better at home, only Valladolid and Elche lament worse points tally on their playing ground than Celta, casting doubt on their bid to complete a league double over Girona after a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.

In the meantime, Girona slumped to a late 2-1 home defeat to Villarreal last weekend, losing a potentially vital ground on the European qualification spots. With three rounds left to go, ‘Los Blanquivermells’ trail seventh-placed Bilbao by two points, highlighting the significance of defying a dismal six-game form on hostile turf (W1, D3, L2). But lower division included, the visitors are winless in their last three away league meetings with Celta (D1, L2), adding to their ever-growing problems on the road. But after drawing a blank on back-to-back La Liga travels (D1, L1), Michel’s men have netted precisely two goals in their last two away outings (W1, D1), something they could use to outmaneuver a misfiring Celta side.

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Newcastle United vs Leicester City

The stakes could not be higher for Newcastle United and Leicester City as the two sides lock horns in a season-defining Premier League fixture at St James’ Park.

Following more than a decade of longing, Newcastle brought European football back to Tyneside with a 4-1 demolition of Brighton last time out, yet landing a first Champions League qualification in over 20 years remains the club’s ultimate goal. Despite blowing hot and cold across their last three Premier League matches (W1, D1, L1), the ‘Magpies’ come into the penultimate round in the driver’s seat to ensure a top-four finish, boasting a three-point lead on fifth-placed Liverpool. Completing a first league double over Leicester since 1994/95 following a 3-0 win in the reverse fixture would seal the deal for Eddie Howe’s high-flyers. Adding to the St James’ Park faithful’s optimism, the hosts have on their final home league game in seven of the last nine seasons (L2).

In stark contrast to Newcastle’s eye-catching season, Leicester City are on the verge of being relegated to the Championship only seven years after lifting the Premier League crown against the odds. Since a come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Wolverhampton in April, Dean Smith’s men have won none of their last four league matches (D2, L2), conceding an alarming average of 2.75 goals per game in the process. If that’s not enough to dampen the spirits in the visiting camp, the ‘Foxes’ haven’t won their final away league game in any of the last eight seasons (D3, L5), casting further doubt on their bid to defy an ominously-looking four-game away H2H form against Newcastle in the Premier League (W1, L3). Furthermore, the visitors have conceded a whopping 41 goals on their league travels this season, their most in a season since letting 44 in the 2010/11 Championship campaign.

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West Ham United vs Leeds United

West Ham United and Leeds United are set to square off in a bottom-half Premier League contest at the London Stadium.

Fresh from securing a first European final in the 21st century, courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League semi-finals, West Ham will be out to bounce back from last weekend’s disheartening 2-0 defeat at Brentford. Despite their impressive continental form, David Moyes’ men have endured a woeful domestic campaign, best illustrated by a horrendous run of four defeats from their last five Premier League matches (W1). However, their only win in that sequence was in their most recent home outing – 1-0 against Manchester United – so they could register back-to-back top-flight triumphs at the London Stadium for the first time since October. Adding to their confidence, the ‘Hammers’ have won three of their last five Premier League meetings with Leeds (D1, L1).

Leeds United’s only win in that five-game run came in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22 (3-2), meaning they could beat West Ham away from home in consecutive top-flight seasons for the first time since 1997. But that’s easier said than done, as Sam Allardyce’s men come into proceedings winless in their last seven Premier League outings (D2, L5), six of which saw them concede at least two goals. Moreover, since an overwhelming 4-2 win at Wolverhampton in mid-March, the ‘Whites’ have lost their last four away league games by an aggregate score of 12-4, conceding precisely four times twice in this sequence. If that’s not discouraging enough, the visitors have lost all six Premier League visits to London this season!

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Bournemouth vs Manchester United

Manchester United’s hopes of returning to the Champions League after a season-long absence are on the line as they meet bottom-half Premier League outfit Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Despite suffering back-to-back two-goal margin defeats in the build-up to this fixture, Bournemouth will take the field without any pressure after securing Premier League survival with two games to spare. Gary O’Neil’s men have been a synonym for inconsistency at home in recent months, with none of their last seven home league matches ending as a draw (W3, L4). But if you’re looking for a common denominator, five of those six results (wins/losses) have seen the winner on the day prevail via multi-goal margins. Bournemouth wouldn’t mind a more evenly-contested encounter this weekend, knowing they’ve lost eight of their 11 meetings with Man Utd in the Premier League (W2, D1). The ‘Cherries’ can draw some confidence from winning their most recent home league H2H in November 2019.

On the other hand, Manchester United consolidated their top-four bid with a 2-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, ending an uneventful run of consecutive 1-0 defeats on the road. Indeed, they’ve been the epitome of ‘Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde,’ depending on the playing ground, with only 36% of their Premier League points this season coming away from home (24/66). Erik ten Hag’s men have managed just one win on their last six league travels (D1, L4), failing to find the back of the net in each defeat. Scoring has been a problem for the ‘Red Devils’ this term, as only Aston Villa (48) have netted fewer Premier League goals than Man Utd (51) in 2022/23. Considering only 41% of those strikes have come on the road, traveling supporters have every reason for concern.

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Freiburg vs Wolfsburg

Freiburg and Wolfsburg are set to trade tackles in a high-stakes Bundesliga encounter at the Europa-Park Stadion.

These are dark times for Freiburg, who, after crashing out of the DFB-Pokal in the semi-finals, suffered back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga to start this round three points adrift of fourth-placed Union Berlin. Despite securing Europa League qualification for the second season running, Christian Streich’s men will hope to bridge the gap in the last two rounds. Having only lost two home league matches this calendar year (W4, D3, L2), ‘Breisgau-Brasilianer’ will relish their chances in this match-up, even though both those defeats came against top-six sides. The hosts have kept a league joint-high 12 clean sheets this season and are one shutout away from equalling the club record in the top flight. But it’s worth noting they lost 6-0 in the reverse fixture in January.

In the meantime, visiting Wolfsburg bounced back from a humiliating 6-0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund with a 2-1 home win over TSG Hoffenheim last weekend, leapfrogging Bayer Leverkusen into the final European qualification spot. That woeful result at Signal Iduna Park saw Niko Kovac’s team concede as many goals as in their previous nine Bundesliga away games combined (6). However, despite winning three of their last four league outings (L1), ‘Die Wolfe’ cannot rest easy as they sit level on points with Leverkusen at the start of this round. There’s another reason for concern, with Wolfsburg going winless in their last four top-flight visits to Freiburg (D2, L2), including a goal-glutted 3-2 defeat in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.

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