By Sam McGuire
Breathing space for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest travel to Portman Road on Saturday afternoon knowing a win over Ipswich Town could potentially give them a seven point lead over fifth placed Manchester City.
It wouldn’t put them in complete control but it would make them strong contenders to claim an unlikely top four finish. Who would’ve thought that at the start of the season?
Forest have been in sketchy form as of late. They were hammered 5-0 by Bournemouth, taken to penalties by Exeter City and Ipswich in the FA Cup and lost to Fulham (2-1) and Newcastle (4-3) before a 1-0 win over Manchester City last weekend seemed to steady the ship.
The Tractor Boys took Forest to penalties earlier this month, narrowly losing 5-4 after a 1-1 draw in normal time. Keiran McKenna’s side are winless in the Premier League since December but showed in the cup they can cause problems. They’re fighting for survival and have a home crowd behind them.
If they’re going to mount an unlikely escape from the dropzone, it needs to start now.
The pressure is on Pep Guardiola
It would’ve sounded unimaginable at the start of the season but there’s a very real possibility that Manchester City miss out on the Champions League.
The reigning champions are currently in fifth position following last weekend’s defeat to Nottingham Forest. That result, coupled with Chelsea’s win over Leicester City, saw the Blues leapfrog the Citizens into fourth position.
City are level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle United and just three ahead of ninth-placed Bournemouth.
They need a win this weekend. They might not get a win, though.
Pep Guardiola’s side welcome Brighton to the Etihad on Saturday.
A win for Brighton would see them move ahead of their hosts. The Seagulls are in fine form too having won their last six matches on the spin across all competitions.
A loss for Man City doesn’t end their hopes of a top four finish but it would be a monumental blow.
Can Arsenal mount a comeback?
The Gunners can still win the Premier League title, but a lot needs to happen for Mikel Arteta to get his hands on the trophy.
Following a blip in form, Arsenal find themselves 15 points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand. The game they’re playing this weekend. It just so happens it is a fairly tricky game against a resurgent Chelsea team hoping to claim a top four finish this term.
The Blues beat Leicester on Sunday to regain a place in the Champions League spots, displacing Manchester City in fourth spot.
A win for Arsenal would make it 12 points with nine games to play. It prolongs their title hopes. Especially since they could cut the gap to nine points before Liverpool play again. So there’s pressure on the Gunners to make this a title challenge.
They haven’t been great lately. There was an unconvincing win over Leicester followed by a loss to West Ham and draws against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. Outside of the Champions League, the goals haven’t been flowing. Understandably so, given their injuries.
It has to be now or never for Arsenal to make their move though. They need to put Liverpool under pressure, just to see how they’ll react. After all, a Carabao Cup final loss could derail their season.
Dead and buried?
Leicester City face an out of sorts Manchester United this weekend. A loss probably all but ensures they’ll be playing Championship football next season. A win gives them a glimmer of hope.
The Foxes have been struggling since the appointment of former Manchester United assistant coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy. They have lost six on the bounce and have won just one of their last 10 in the Premier League. In fact, they have two wins in 2025 – one was in the FA Cup against QPR, the other was a 2-1 victory over Spurs.
United, meanwhile, are safe from the drop. Well, it would take something special for Rúben Amorim’s side to be relegated now given they’re 17 clear with 10 games left. It is possible though, isn’t it? They’ll want to create a larger gap between themselves and the drop zone this weekend and this is the perfect match for them to do just that. If they picked up three points at the King Power, it’d be just their second win in their last six Premier League outings.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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