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.

Enzo Fernández has publicly questioned Chelsea’s decision to dismiss manager Enzo Maresca midseason, saying the move “hurt” the squad. In a new interview with TUDN he set out his bewilderment at the timing and the way the club handled the change.

“I don’t understand it either,” Fernández confessed. “Sometimes there are things that we as players don’t understand, how and in what way they try to manage things.

“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot because we had an identity. He gave us an order, even though, as is the way of football, sometimes it’s good and bad.

“But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing, and obviously his departure hurt us a lot, especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short.”

Those comments add to a growing list of concerns around the club. On the pitch, Chelsea were humiliated in the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain and they sit on the fringes of the qualification race for the competition. Off the pitch there have been reports of stuttering contract talks; Chelsea are working to improve Fernández’s base salary under a wage structure that limits guaranteed earnings but rewards through performance-related bonuses, yet an agreement has not been reached on a deal that runs until 2032.

None of this means a summer exit is guaranteed, and the fact Fernández’s contract still has six years left to run will reassure Chelsea, but his frustrations threaten to make life incredibly difficult for the Blues this summer.

Questions about the club’s conduct at a business level have been common this season. Fans have already been protesting against the ownership, with most of the frustrations sparked by Maresca’s departure, which came about after the Italian clashed with those above him over their approach to running the team. Supporters point to a clumsy, expensive transfer strategy and limited on-field progress.

Fan group NotAProjectCFC have confirmed the next stage of their campaign. On April 18, before the match against Manchester United, the group intend to welcome a number of fans from Strasbourg, the other BlueCo-owned entity, to join forces against the ownership. “As a result of the continued erosion of values at both football clubs, we have decided to come together to take action with one clear, unified message: Blueco Out,” a statement read.