Premier League: 10 things to look out for on the final day of the season

Bournemouth’s hopes of European football were vanquished after defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday but the Cherries, 11th on 53 points, could still achieve ninth spot and match their best finish in the Premier League (under Eddie Howe in 2016-17, although that was achieved with only 46 points). A home game against relegated Leicester looks to offer the perfect opportunity but the closing stretch has been tough for Andoni Iraola’s side, with the past 12 league games producing only two victories. Remarkably, a three-game league form table puts Leicester in fourth after home wins over Southampton and Ipswich either side of a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest. Perhaps this won’t be the walkover most are expecting, and there could be a wistful feeling in the air at the Vitality on Sunday afternoon. No one can deny it has been a strong season but what a party it might have been. With Dean Huijsen off to Real Madrid and Milos Kerkez linked heavily with the champions, Liverpool, how many of the goodbyes on the traditional end-of-season lap of honour will be permanent? David Tindall

Bournemouth v Leicester, Sunday 4pm (all times BST)

Dean Huijsen will join Real Madrid this summer and Milos Kerkez could also depart Bournemouth. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/Shutterstock

It is unlikely Manchester City’s season would have been so underwhelming had Rodri not suffered that serious knee injury against Arsenal. Pep Guardiola’s side have suffered without the assurance provided by the best midfielder in the league. No one has been able to step up in his absence. Opponents have run through City, leaving them in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification. They need a result against Fulham on the final day and Guardiola has problems in midfield before the trip to Craven Cottage. Mateo Kovacic is suspended after his red card against Bournemouth, so how does Guardiola adjust? He used Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne in deeper roles in the FA Cup final but that seems like an unsuitable solution for a tricky away game. Is this a moment for Nico González, short on Premier League experience, or the wily but ageing Ilkay Gündogan? Maybe it is time for Rodri. The Spaniard made a late cameo off the bench against Bournemouth, but putting him in the starting XI now would be a risk given his lack of football. Rodri may not be ready to start, but Guardiola may need him to make a big impact off the bench. Jacob Steinberg

Fulham v Manchester City, Sunday 4pm

A tough sell of a match for neutrals, with Ipswich’s relegation long sealed and West Ham’s campaign raising few cheers once relegation was avoided. There is, though, public affection at stake, particularly for Graham Potter, who has remained something of a stranger to Hammers fans. Four wins in 18 matches since taking charge is the worst return since Avram Grant took the club down in the 2010-11 season. Potter’s downbeat persona has been mirrored by passive performances from his team and his record is now worse than that of Julen Lopetegui, the manager he replaced in January. Winning at Manchester United, a result that used to make up for an indifferent season, has provided no fig leaf. Lose at Ipswich, who have won once at Portman Road in the league all season, and Potter faces a summer of doubts. Kieran McKenna, despite Ipswich’s struggles, retains the club hierarchy’s faith and will be looking for a positive send-off down the chute to the Championship. John Brewin

Ipswich v West Ham, Sunday 4pm

Few would have predicted Crystal Palace’s visit as the precursor to the 2025 Community Shield back in August, but unexpected silverware ensures all sections of Anfield will be in full-on party mode on the final day. Liverpool can hardly deny they have been on the beach since wrapping up the title four weeks ago. They have been merrily advertising the fact all over social media, popping in for two defeats and a draw in between their jollies to Ibiza and Dubai. Wayne Lineker’s new mate, Arne Slot, can hardly complain at the downturn. It is difficult to imagine Oliver Glasner hanging out with Gary’s playboy brother and there were no signs of a hangover when Crystal Palace surfed an FA Cup-winning wave against Wolves on Tuesday. The main event comes after the final whistle, of course, when Liverpool get to lift the league championship trophy in front of their own supporters for the first time in 35 years. But what reception awaits Trent Alexander-Arnold this time? Andy Hunter

Liverpool v Crystal Palace, Sunday 4pm

Liverpool and Crystal Palace fans have a game to get through at Anfield before the serious business of trophy parades can begin. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

The good news for Ruben Amorim is that he retains Manchester United’s backing despite overseeing Wednesday’s pathetic 1-0 Europa League final defeat to Tottenham. The bad tidings are these: his team may not yet have hit rock bottom as Sunday’s visitors, Aston Villa, are a formidable proposition who arrive firmly in the hunt for a Champions League place. A 19th league defeat of the season, and an ignominious finish in 17th place, are very much possible. Given the club’s dismal transfer market record over a decade or more, the beleaguered Portuguese coach could be about to endure a long summer. The darkest hour is supposedly before dawn but it may only be 3am at Old Trafford. Jamie Jackson

Manchester United v Aston Villa, Sunday 4pm

Might Jordan Pickford prove a one-man human barrier blocking Newcastle’s route to the Champions League? Much as he loves life at Everton, the England goalkeeper will always adore Sunderland, the club he supported as a boy and where he began his career. Newcastle fans routinely barrack Sunderland old boys but their dislike of Pickford not only elevates such rivalry to a new level, but often seems to bring the best out in a keeper boasting high-calibre footwork his Newcastle counterpart Nick Pope must envy. Should Pickford’s saves send Eddie Howe’s side to the Europa League next season, he will revel in being the toast of Wearside. If Everton’s outfielders may not be quite as motivated, David Moyes has fashioned an obdurate side and Howe will be hoping that Alexander Isak overcomes groin trouble in time to start. If so, it could be a case of Sweden striker v England goalkeeper. Louise Taylor

Newcastle v Everton, Sunday 4pm

Only a win at the City Ground will do for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. Sunday is far more important to club and manager than next Wednesday’s Conference League final against Real Betis in Wroclaw. Nottingham Forest are still fighting for a Champions League spot and the City Ground will be baying for blood, which will ask severe questions of a visiting unit that wilted under similar conditions at Newcastle. The Chelsea ownership can ill-afford to be absent from the Champions League for three successive seasons, no matter what other continental baubles might be collected, and despite their presence in the summer’s Fifa Club World Cup bonanza. Forest can still make it into the top five and have nothing to lose. That, and the looming, occasionally provocative presence of the owner, Evangelos Marinakis, makes them a prospect to fear for any shrinking violets. JB

Nottingham Forest v Chelsea, Sunday 4pm

Enzo Maresca’s first season as Chelsea manager may be defined by Sunday’s result at the City Ground. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images/Reuters

St Mary’s hosts the most meaningless of all the weekend’s meaningless games. Southampton will finish bottom regardless, and barring an improbable drubbing that damages Arsenal’s net goal difference, Mikel Arteta’s side have the runners-up slot in the bag. The big talking point for Saints fans is the impending appointment of Will Still as manager, who could be in situ by Sunday. The highly regarded 32-year-old coach has a fondness for high pressing, intelligent running and fast transitions, none of which have been in great evidence this season, though Still should be able to get a better tune out of Southampton’s players than Ivan Juric and his more uncompromising “death metal” football. An outing against the second-best team in England offers a useful audition for those who fancy getting stuck into a promotion challenge next term after this wasted season. Tom Davies

Southampton v Arsenal, Sunday 4pm

Expect an air of cognitive dissonance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday as Spurs mark their probable lowest finish of the Premier League era with a post-Europa League party. Festivities will inevitably be accompanied by speculation that this might still be Ange Postecoglou’s last match in charge. That will not be influenced by the result and performance here, which don’t greatly matter. Brighton, by contrast, still entertain hopes of joining Spurs in European competition next season. A point here will secure eighth place for Fabian Hürzeler’s side, which might secure a Conference League place depending on a convoluted combination of other results, including next Wednesday’s Conference League final between Chelsea and Betis. Brighton were excellent against Liverpool on Monday and will arrive in north London in good form and spirits. As we have seen this week, they are simply a better team than Spurs and should wrap up that top-eight place here. TD

Tottenham v Brighton, Sunday 4pm

Brighton could end up celebrating European football next season if they spoil Spurs’ party. Photograph: Daniel Hambury/EPA

After 19 games of this Premier League season, Wolves were in a perilous position. They had managed only 16 points and were a point and a place above the drop zone. But since the halfway mark their transformation has been notable. Talk of relegation vanished a long time ago. The second-half-of-the-season table shows Wolves in a fairly healthy 13th. They have totted up the same number of wins as Arsenal and Nottingham Forest (eight) and their points tally (25) in that period is on a par with mid-table sides like Fulham and Bournemouth. The decision to bring in Vítor Pereira after the 2-1 home loss to Ipswich in December has been fully justified and across March and April they secured a club record six Premier League wins a row. The team has wobbled since but victory over Brentford on Sunday will complete a satisfactory campaign. What happens next is uncertain, though. Can Wolves become a team good enough to challenge for a European spot or will next season prove sticky again, with their star attacker Matheus Cunha set to move on and other prize assets, such as Rayan Aït-Nouri, linked with moves away? DT

Wolves v Brentford, Sunday 4pm