The final battle of the Premier League: Champions League suspense and fate choice, everything will be revealed in the last 90 minutes

The Premier League has ushered in its last round in 2024/25 season, and the fate of many teams is undecided. The four major battles, the focus of relegation, and the curtain of honor are intertwined into an exciting final battle. From the life-and-death battle between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea’s Champions League qualification, to the last-minute sprints of Manchester United, Villa, Newcastle and other teams; from the happy farewell battle between Liverpool and Crystal Palace, to Southampton and Ipswich’s efforts to avoid embarrassing records; every game carries the team’s hope, pressure and story. This article will take you to analyze the highlights of this round of matches one by one, and feel the infinite charm brought by the climaxes and uncertainty at the end of the Premier League season.

Forest vs Chelsea: The fateful UEFA Champions League qualification battle

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea

Before the last round of the Premier League, there was only three points behind the third and seventh place in the standings, and an unprecedented situation occurred - three of the five teams still have the opportunity to qualify for the Champions League. There are too many competitions, and it is difficult to cover everything. But neutral fans at least know which game to focus on when kicking off: a "six-point battle" at the city stadium could be the greatest day since Nottingham Forest entered the 21st century.

Nuno Espiritu Santo's team may have a slight advantage. Chelsea ranked 11th in the Premier League away record, and has won only one game in the past 11 Premier League away games, which was last month's defeat of Fulham 2-1 with Pedro Neto's final victory.

In addition, Chelsea under Enzo Maresca focuses on ball control, and this style of play seems too horizontal and lacks aggressive when facing opponents who are good at counterattacking. In seven games with a ball possession rate of more than 65% this season, Chelsea won only 2 games, including a 1-1 draw with Forest at home in October last year.

Nevertheless, the outcome of this game is still difficult to predict. If the battle is tense, Chelsea's victory is also completely possible. For the Forest, qualifying for the Champions League would be a huge surprise; but for Chelsea, it was almost a life-and-death task. They once again made a lot of money to sign up last summer and could not bear the consequences of missing the Champions League for the third consecutive year.

No matter what the result is, at least one team will feel sad—and maybe even two.

Can Aston Villa "stole" into the top five?

Manchester United vs Aston Villa

Villa fans will wait nervously for the team to be announced on Sunday - but not to focus on the start of their own team. Ruben Amorin may line up a young squad, defaulting that Manchester United has "end" the season after losing the UEFA Cup; it may also send out its strongest lineup, hoping to win back the respect of fans at Old Trafford.

Emery will not be distracted, he is concerned about how Villa continues his recent good form and achieves his second victory at Old Trafford since 2009.

Although away matches against Manchester United always worry Villa fans, they are in good shape at the moment. Even if Manchester United wants to end with a victory, they may not be able to win easily. However, even winning is not necessarily enough. Villa still needs Newcastle or Chelsea to lose points, or Manchester City loses to enter the top five.

No matter what the result is, it is worth pride for the third consecutive year of European competitions. But if he can advance to the Champions League, Villa's future will enter a new stage.

Can Newcastle withstand Everton's impact?

Newcastle United vs Everton

Everton exhausted his energy in the farewell to Goodison Park, but now he has no pressure to play and may be able to create an upset in St. James Park.

Newcastle coach Eddie Howe may lose Isaac, and it was his absence that caused the team to be silent in the game against Arsenal. More importantly, their new formation 3-4-3 was born for counterattack and was effective against Chelsea and Liverpool.

There may return to 4-3-3 in this round, and Joe Willok, who has just returned from injury, will enter the midfield. Last weekend, Newcastle's physical fitness declined significantly, and if the midfielder cannot compete with Gayer, Garner and Dookure, they may suffer a loss.

However, Newcastle has strong home firepower and has won six consecutive Premier League wins at St. James Park. More importantly, they have the initiative: they can enter the Champions League as long as they win, and there is no need to look at the faces of other teams.

In the last round, a team with a goal will defeat an opponent without desire. Newcastle should have the upper hand, but Everton won't surrender.

Can Fulham cause trouble for Manchester City?

Fulham vs Manchester City

Manchester City easily beat Bournemouth 3-1 on Tuesday, thanks to the opponent's open style of play. And this round of visiting Craven Farm will be much greater. Marco Silva's compact formation in Fulham could once again expose City's offensive problems when facing defensive teams.

Haaland's form is still sluggish after his comeback, which makes people believe that Fulham may hold the score of 0-0, leaving Guardiola feeling uncomfortable.

Manchester City only needs to draw to ensure qualification for the Champions League next season, and most people think they can beat Fulham who missed the European Cup. But of the five teams competing for Champions League qualification, Manchester City's challenge is probably the most underrated. Their mission is far from complete. Will Anfield be the happiest place on Sunday?

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

Anfield audience will be bathed in the sun and worry-free. After the game, Liverpool will hold up the Premier League trophy and the scene will be a carnival. And the Crystal Palace fans who came from afar will also celebrate their long-destined success in joy.

This match could be one of the most entertaining matches of the season. There are always several "pre-school carnival" atmosphere matches in the last round of each year, but there are very few situations where both sides are so relaxed and joyful.

Perhaps the offensive firepower of both sides will explode in full swing, or perhaps the defense will be completely ineffective, the scene may be 50% or maybe Crystal Palace cannot cope after the emotions are released, and Liverpool will end.

Although there is no point pressure on the game, except that Salah may fight to set a Premier League record, it may still be one of the most worth watching games this season.

Can Southampton avoid "worst record"?

Southampton vs Arsenal

This game is more meaningful than it seems. Interim coach Simon Lask hopes to replicate the miracle of a 0-0 draw with Manchester City two weeks ago to prevent the Saints from becoming the "worst record" team in Premier League history.

The draw allowed Southampton to surpass Derby County's worst record of 11 points. But they have lost 29 games, which is the same as the record for the most losses in a single season in Premier League history (teams including Ipswich in the 1994/95 season, Sunderland in the 2005/06 season, Derby in the 2007/08 season and Sheffield United in the 2020/21 season).

If they lose another game, they will set an embarrassing record of 30 losses alone, which may re-ignite the controversy of "the worst season in Premier League history". Facing Arsenal, the Saints need a little luck. Last time he was shot against Manchester City, with a 26-foot shot, with a xG reaching 1.82, but Manchester City wasted opportunities. Arsenal may not be so kind.

Can Ipswich win a game at home and let the fans leave with a smile?

Ipswich vs West Ham United

When coach Kieran McKenna looks back on the 2024/25 season, he will definitely regret the team's home record. Although the team's overall performance in the first half of the season was acceptable, Ipswich only won one Premier League game at home in the 2024/25 season, which was the 2-0 victory over Chelsea on December 30 last year.

This is a record that disappoints fans and also tied the record of the lowest home win in the Premier League (Sunderland in the 2005/06 season, and 2007/08 season derby).

is now the last chance to leave wonderful memories for fans.

Can Tottenham take advantage of the Europa League championship and look forward to a brighter future?

Tottenham vs Brighton

Tottenham just won the UEFA Cup and the celebration may not have fallen. Anji Postkoglu may rest in the main force. This is good news for Brighton. They only need one point to secure eighth place, which still hopes to bring Europa League qualification.

But if Tottenham is taking advantage of the victory, this is a great opportunity for the coach to show his future blueprint to Chairman Daniel Levi.

Possey said after the game: "Yes, I want to stay. I haven't completed my job yet. We need to add some experience players. We have entered the Champions League. My idea is to build a team that can last for 4 to 6 years of success."

Although Tottenham's way of winning the UEFA Cup is contrary to "Anji Football", this round of games can be used to show his true tactical philosophy. If the team continues to have a high morale, the Europa League championship may be just the starting point, not the end point.

Can the Wolves end perfectly and avoid "starts and ends"?

Wolves vs Blatford

Vito Pereira leads Wolves to make great progress, scoring 32 points in 21 games since coaching. However, the recent three-game losing streak has slightly lowered people's expectations for him. It is not surprising that it has fallen from the previous "top five Premier League records" to normal levels, but if you lose another game, the end of the season will be a little bitter.

In particular, center Mattus Cunia is reported to be poached by Manchester United, coupled with consecutive losses at the end of the season, which may affect the team's morale. The overall performance of the Wolves is still worthy of recognition, but if it can end with victory, it will be more helpful for summer preparation.

How can Bournemouth improve his home record?

Bornemouth vs Leicester City

lost to Manchester City in the middle of the week, Bournemouth confirmed that it could not finish eighth and missed the European arena. They can start preparing for the 2025/26 season. One of the top tasks of coach Iraola is to improve the team's performance on the dynamic stadium.

At the beginning of the season, they beat Arsenal and Manchester City at home, winning three games in five games, but since they beat Manchester City 2-1 on November 2 last year, they have only won four home games, and each time they have been a clean sheet.

This shows that they are only good at hitting the strong with weak points, and it will be difficult to encounter games that require control of the ball and attack. In the last round, Leicester City was a typical defensive team, and the last time they met, Leicester won 1-0.

Eraola needs to find out the way to crack it before the start of next season.