Premier League, Week 37 preview: What do Evertonians want?
Everton keeps their faint hopes of finishing fourth alive with a win. They’d also all but hand the title to Liverpool. Being an Evertonian is rough.
The Boleyn Ground; Saturday, 12:45 GMT/7:45 AM ET
With neither side having much to play for, it’s difficult to make much of a case for watching this game over other, significantly more important games. Adding to that difficulty: the fact that West Ham United are involved.
Aston Villa vs. Hull City
Villa Park; Saturday, 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM ET
Aston Villa are achingly close to achieving safety, with a win guaranteeing the preservation of their top-flight status and a draw making it likely academic. The problem? Villa have one point from their last 6 games and last won on March 15th. Hull’s recent form will give the Villans some hope, but it’s looking increasingly likely that it will have to be the incompetence of others that keeps the club safe.
Manchester United vs. Sunderland
Old Trafford; Saturday, 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM ET
On the back of consecutive wins, Sunderland have pulled themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time in what seems like forever. Their still-awful-but-not-quite-as-shocking-as-the-bottom-three goal difference gives them an edge, but they're still far from comfortable. A trip to Old Trafford may be less daunting this season than seasons past, but it's still a tall order for a team of Sunderland's quality; prepare to hear the word "tension" several hundred times over the course of this broadcast.
Newcastle United vs. Cardiff City
St. James’ Park; Saturday, 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM ET
Cardiff are officially in the “we have to assume we need three points from every game” position right now, which is not a good place to be at all. Luckily, no team in the Premier League has been worse than Newcastle over the past few months; six losses in a row is not a great way to close out a season, but unless they remember how to actually score goals it’s not too difficult to see that turning into eight losses in a row. It’s pretty impressive that a home game for the 9th-placed team and last-placed team is a legitimate toss-up, but here we are all the same.
Stoke City vs. Fulham
Britannia Stadium; Saturday, 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM ET
Fulham aren't in straits as dire as Cardiff, but they're still in a bad way as the deadline creeps ever closer. At least four points from their next two will be required for Fulham's Premier League run to continue, and though that's achievable against Stoke and their final opponent Crystal Palace, the Cottagers will need to play like more like the revitalized side that post back-to-back victories in early April than the one that put together uninspiring performances in their last two games. Stoke don't have a whole lot to play for, but that's been the case for several months and it hasn't done much to slow them down; this likely won't be the prettiest game of the weekend, but it may well be the most intense.
Liberty Stadium; Saturday, 15:00 GMT/10:00 AM ET
Swansea and Southampton are both safe and aren’t likely to stray too far from their current positions, but if games that matter aren’t really your thing there are worst ways to spend your time. These two sides are fun to watch, and with so little at stake the game could open up quite a bit. it’s somewhat unfortunate this contest isn’t running unopposed, because it’s tough to lobby that it’s worth watching over the others happening simultaneously but really tempting to try.
Everton vs. Manchester City
Goodison Park; Saturday, 17:30 GMT/12:30 PM ET
City's title hopes and Everton's Champions League dreams are on the line in what is probably the most heavily anticipated game of the weekend. The odds that either achieve their goal are slim, but Everton's got a serious hill to climb; while City have a game-in-hand that could draw them even with Liverpool-and put them ahead on goal difference-the Toffees have just two games in which to erase a four-point gap between themselves and Arsenal. That likely means a win from both is necessary, with at least a point against City the minimum requirement. That's a tough ask for Roberto Martinez's side, but anyone that's been paying attention this season isn't likely to write them off until it's a mathematical certainty.
Arsenal vs. West Bromwich Albion
Emirates Stadium; Sunday, 12:00 GMT/7:00 AM ET
Arsenal can once again qualify for the Champions League with a win, which shouldn’t be too much to ask given that the opposition is West Brom. The Baggies need a lot of things to go wrong in order to go down, and in some ways that gives them even more of an incentive to go for broke; a loss isn’t really going to hurt their chances all that much, while a win guarantees safety and is a pretty nice feather in the cap in its own right. That’s...probably not going to end up happening, but it doesn’t hurt to dream, right?
Chelsea vs. Norwich City
Anfield; Sunday, 13:30 GMT/8:30 AM ET
Chelsea's win at Anfield last weekend put them right back into the thick of the title race, but with City having a game in hand and Liverpool's remaining schedule being quite favorable, they'll need some help. Norwich is similarly in need of aid if they hope to preserve their Premier League status, and with Arsenal making their way to Carrow Road to close out the season, they're likely going to need at least one pretty stunning result as well. Chelsea have looked vulnerable against poor teams at times this season, but following their elimination from the Champions League they're likely to be a bit cranky as well; perhaps that's something Norwich can use to their advantage, but there's not much about the Canaries' season that suggests they're a likely candidate to tactically out-maneuver the likes of Chelsea.
Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool
Selhurst Park; Monday, 20:00 GMT/3:00 PM ET
Now that it's been confirmed that Liverpool are in fact capable of doing something other than winning, the title race is suddenly quite interesting once again. Manchester City's game-in-hand will finally come off the table next week and seeing as how it's against Aston Villa it seems a fair bet they'll end up winning it; given City's superior goal difference, Liverpool will need to take care of business against Palace and hope for a favor from Everton on Saturday. Otherwise, there's a very good chance they'll be entering the season's final day in second place.
