Next Five Fixtures: Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool fight for Champions League spot | OneFootball

With Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City running away with the top three spots in the Premier League table, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are left battling for the final Champions League berth.

Interim boss Michael Carrick injected fresh energy into a downtrodden Man Utd side, transforming them into a formidable force at the beginning of his tenure.

A pair of stunning victories over Arsenal and Man City fired the Red Devils to fourth in the Premier League standings, a point clear of fifth-placed Chelsea and two away from defending champions Liverpool.

Despite sitting sixth, the Reds are given the same 6/5 chances of securing a coveted top-four finish as Man Utd, with Chelsea priced at 8/5 to prevail in this heavyweight race.

Whether it was just a new manager’s bounce or the beginning of a new era at Old Trafford remains to be seen, but fending off Liverpool and Chelsea promises to be a daunting task.

Here, we take a closer look at the next five fixtures for each side.

Liverpool

Buoyed by a 6-0 rout of Qarabag in midweek Champions League action, Liverpool will take on Newcastle United at the weekend, looking to end their dreadful five-game winless league run.

Under-fire boss Arne Slot hailed Liverpool’s performance at Anfield and will now aim to build on that morale-boosting victory against familiar foes, with the Reds boasting a 19-game unbeaten top-flight streak against Newcastle.

Extending that jaw-dropping sequence with a win would set the reigning holders up perfectly for a mouth-watering home clash against title-bidding Man City.

Liverpool will seek revenge for a dismal 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, perhaps taking heart from going unbeaten in their last four Premier League clashes at Anfield.

Playing on the road has been Liverpool’s Achilles heel this season, something they’ll be keen to address when they face Sunderland in their first meeting at the Stadium of Light since 2017.

Tyne and Wear has been a happy hunting ground for the 20-time English champions, as they’ve avoided defeat in their last five away league matches against the Black Cats.

Slot’s side will take on bottom-half strugglers Nottingham Forest (A) and West Ham United (H) in a pair of must-win fixtures towards the end of February.

Chelsea

New manager Liam Rosenior has won his first two Premier League games in charge of Chelsea, seeing off fellow London rivals Brentford and Crystal Palace at the beginning of his tenure.

Chelsea could register three consecutive multi-goal margin wins in top-flight action for the first time since November 2020 when they meet West Ham at home this weekend.

Four of the Blues’ next five league games look winnable on paper, with the Irons one of the four bottom-half sides set to test Rosenior’s managerial credentials by the end of February.

Intense speculation regarding Chelsea’s transfer plans (via The Sun) will be long gone before the Pensioners lock horns with rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

Needless to say, anything other than three points there would be a disaster for Rosenior’s men ahead of their home clash against a Leeds United side they lost to in the reverse fixture.

Chelsea will then entertain relegation-threatened Burnley at Stamford Bridge in the final rehearsal before a blockbuster London derby against table-topping Arsenal.

Manchester United

With momentum firmly on their side, Man Utd will resume their top-four quest this weekend, as they host surprise package Fulham at the Theatre of Dreams.

That will be an opportunity for Carrick to prove victories over Arsenal and Man City were more than just beginner’s luck and will also serve to prepare United for an unfavourable match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite their underwhelming campaign, Spurs held the Red Devils to a dramatic 2-2 draw in November, extending their unbeaten run in this match-up to eight games.

Halting that frustrating sequence could be a statement of intent from resurgent United as they look to build confidence ahead of a tricky trip to West Ham.

Carrick’s side will cap off their relatively light February schedule with an away clash against Everton before kicking off March at home to Palace.