Premier League title and relegation could be decided on Tuesday | OneFootball

Tuesday night in the Premier League could bring defining moments at both ends of the table, with plenty more than just the title race and relegation battle at stake.

Bournemouth’s meeting with Manchester City, along with the London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham, comes loaded with tensionand emotion.

There is a strange mood surrounding Manchester City heading into the evening - one shaped by growing reports that Pep Guardiola is preparing to walk away at the end of the season. Even by modern football standards, the news has landed heavily. Guardiola has been at the Etihad since 2016 and still has another year left on his contract, but there is an increasing sense that one of football’s great managerial eras may be nearing its conclusion.

His impact on City is impossible to overstate. Six Premier League titles, the club’s first Champions League triumph, and a style of football that changed the landscape of English football have cemented his legacy long ago. Whether he returns quickly to management remains unclear, though many believe he could follow the route taken by his old rival Jürgen Klopp and step away from the game for a while after years of constant intensity.

For City, the equation is simple. Anything other than a win at Bournemouth would end their title hopes and leave Arsenal on the verge of celebration.rat

And if there is emotion surrounding Guardiola, there is just as much on the south coast side. The Cherries are still chasing a historic first-ever qualification for the Champions League, in Andoni Iraola's final home game in charge of the club. Few could have imagined Bournemouth being in this position at the start of the season, but Iraola has transformed them into one of the Premier League’s most exciting sides and turned the Vitality Stadium into one of the toughest away grounds in the division.

As for Arsenal supporters, nerves are beginning to give way to disbelief. After years of false dawns, collapses and frustration, they are now within touching distance of a first league title since Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles in 2003/04.

Tottenham close to safety as pressure shifts to West Ham

At the other end of the table, Tottenham have at least given themselves breathing room. Four league matches without defeat have eased some of the anxiety, although survival is not quite secured yet. A result against Chelsea would change that.

Spurs begin the night two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham and know that victory over their London rivals would mathematically guarantee their safety with one match remaining. Even a draw would leave the Hammers needing something extraordinary, given Tottenham’s far superior goal difference.