Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea go into the international break having failed to press their advantage. Those stumbles have kept the race for a top-five finish alive with all three clubs refusing to capitalise on one another.

With seven matches remaining in the season, their next five Premier League games take on renewed significance. Below is how the schedules line up.

Man Utd
Leeds (H) – April 13
Chelsea (A) – April 18
Brentford (H) – April 27
Liverpool (H) – May 2
Sunderland (A) – May 9

For Manchester United the upcoming run is relatively promising. With just seven matches to play, United sit in third place and are well clear of Chelsea and Liverpool behind them. Aston Villa, also in the top five, remains a team United must respect. The international break offers a short period of rest before they host Leeds United on April 13. Their meetings with Chelsea and Liverpool are split between Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, and victories there could prove decisive to their European ambitions. The Londoners beat United earlier this season, a reminder that form can change quickly since Michael Carrick’s transformative appointment as interim head coach.

Liverpool
Fulham (H) – April 11
Everton (A) – April 19
Crystal Palace (H) – April 25
Man Utd (A) – May 2
Chelsea (H) – May 9

Liverpool have been inconsistent this season. The defeat to Brighton was their 10th in the competition, six more than last campaign, and confidence may not be high ahead of Fulham on April 11. The home game follows critical cup assignments against Man City in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Chelsea
Man City (H) – April 12
Man Utd (H) – April 18
Brighton (A) – April 26
Nott’m Forest (H) – May 2
Liverpool (A) – May 9

Chelsea face a testing sequence, beginning with Manchester City at home and including away trips to Brighton and Anfield. Major pressure rests on Liam Rosenior’s side after their Champions League exit, and results across these fixtures will shape their chances of finishing in the top five.

A weekend of shocks and dropped points has shifted the Opta supercomputer’s view of the 2025/26 Premier League season. With the top two away for the Carabao Cup final, teams below have been jockeying for position in the race for Champions League places.

Manchester United were held to a 2–2 draw with Bournemouth in controversial circumstances. Liverpool fell 2–1 to Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea suffered a 3–0 defeat to Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Opta’s projection still favours Arsenal for the title. The model lists Arsenal on 70 current points with an expected points total of 84.80 and a title chance of 97.77%. Manchester City sit on 61 points with an expected 74.47 and a 2.23% title chance. The statisticians are not looking past Arsenal.

On Champions League qualification the supercomputer gives Manchester United (55 current points, expected 66.09) an 86.25% chance, while Aston Villa (51, expected 64.13) has a 66.68% chance. Liverpool are projected on 49 current points with an expected 60.53 and a 27.33% chance. Chelsea stand on 48 current points, expected 58.63, with a 13.39% chance. Brentford (45, expected 56.09) are at 3.64%; Everton (46, expected 54.96) 1.37%; Newcastle (42, expected 54.12) 0.73%; Brighton (43, expected 53.48) 0.53%.

Michael Carrick’s side are still in an imposing position with seven games left to play despite the Bournemouth draw. Unai Emery’s side remain heavy favourites for the final top-four spot, having done most of the early campaign work.

Arne Slot’s side retain a route back into the Champions League thanks in part to England’s strong coefficient. Liam Rosenior’s side face a difficult run and are projected for the Europa League.

At the bottom, Opta’s relegation table places Tottenham on 30 points with a 12.67% relegation chance (expected 40.63). Nottingham Forest are on 29 with a 32.11% chance (expected 38.58). West Ham are on 29 with a 48.44% chance (expected 37.73). Burnley (20, expected 26.34) have a 99.90% chance and Wolves (17, expected 24.94) a 99.94% chance. Sunday’s Tottenham v Nottingham Forest meeting is highlighted as pivotal for both clubs.

Arne Slot has given a clear timetable for Alexander Isak’s comeback, saying he expects the striker to be available for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain next month. Slot tempered immediate expectations, noting the scale of Isak’s layoff and the work required to reach peak condition.

“Alex will available [for PSG], yes,” Slot confirmed. “The question is what you mean around ‘being ready.’

“If you want to have the player who played exactly a year ago against us in the Carabao Cup final and was too good for us on that day, then I would tell you I have my doubts about that after seven or eight months out.

“But I expect that I can use him for minutes. Exactly what I get from that I cannot tell you because he hasn’t trained with the team even once.”

Before the PSG tie, Liverpool face an FA Cup quarterfinal against Manchester City. Slot made clear Isak will not be ready for that cup match, and the club had to manage another forward issue after Saturday’s 2–1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion when Hugo Ekitike limped off early.

“Hugo, I think he could play tomorrow if you needed [him] to,” Slot confessed. “It was a dead leg, as you call it here.

“Brighton did what we expected. If you face a team that has only had 62 hours of rest, and the first thing you do is make it an intense game, play the first duels, tough duels … nothing wrong with the duels, by the way.

“But unfortunately, it was a collision, and that led to Hugo going out.

“That’s not helpful if you have to, after two minutes, continue without one of the best strikers that the league has seen in the last three or four years, already not available throughout the whole season, Alexander Isak.”

Slot urged patience as Isak rebuilds match fitness but indicated the manager expects to have the forward available for minute-by-minute involvement in the upcoming Champions League tie.