One week that could determine Chelsea’s top four chances

From Chelsea versus Burnley to Manchester United and every match in between, the top four race could be all but settled in just seven days.

This part of the Premier League season is the trickiest to gauge. The Football Association is desperately and occasionally haphazardly rescheduling matches to ensure everyone can finish on the same day. That leaves many teams with varied amounts of games in hand and means matches are happening nearly around the clock.

From Monday to Sunday, Chelsea only has two matches. One is hosting Burnley, the other is away to Manchester United. But it is not just the Chelsea matches that could matter, but all the other matches in between. In the span of just a single week, the top four race can be turned completely on its head.

When the week starts, all four teams fighting for top four will be on 34 games played. There will be little to split the teams point wise and the margins will be incredibly slim.

Chelsea will once again set the pace. Their match against Burnley is winnable and frankly, must be won. A loss would send the Blues onto a very slippery slope.

Tuesday sees Tottenham face off against the sinking Brighton. Brighton have been woeful in 2019. They have been so bad that they have gone from virtually safe to the relegation battle with Cardiff. Spurs has injury issues to face but that should be winnable for them.

Wednesday will be a pivotal day in the top four race. Arsenal will take their awful away form to Molineux as they look for a way to survive top six slayers Wolverhampton Wanderers. At mostly the same time, Manchester United will be bouncing back from their embarrassing loss to Everton with a Manchester Derby that could not only all but end United’s top four hopes, but it could potentially all but end City’s title challenge as well.

The next top four race matches take place on Saturday. Tottenham will host West Ham in a London derby that they should be winning. It is always hard to discount West Ham however as it is never clear how they will turn up.

Sunday will be one of the biggest days left in the season. Once again, Arsenal takes their terrible away form to a strong midtable side in Leicester City. If Arsenal does not win both of their away games in the week, they will be in a very dark place when it comes to top four.

But the big one is Manchester United versus Chelsea. Right now, both teams are more on pace for fifth and sixth than fourth or third. But again, that could all change over the week. Regardless, this match will absolutely be a six pointer. The loser will be out of the top four race full stop. The winner will have a strong chance of Champions League football. A draw would likely mean both will fall short of North London.

All four clubs still fighting for top four will end the week with 36 games played. Each club needs six points from six to have an argument for Champions League. Anything less than three points will pretty much be the end of that team’s race.

Three of the four teams still have a European lifeline for top four but all four still have the league as well. The week will be determined by fine margins but at the end of it, everything will be much clearer with two games left in the season.