Ten KEY questions for Matchweek 38's fixtures

Will Everton’s away form define the final-day relegation battle?

It all comes down to this. After Arsenal won the Premier League title on Tuesday evening all eyes are on the fight for safety between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

We have had many final-day relegation battles before but none quite as unexpected as this one. Both Spurs and West Ham play their homes games in stadiums with 60 000+ capacities. Both have won European trophies within the last three years. Neither foresaw relegation in their futures.

The epicentre of the final-day drama is likely to be at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Roberto De Zerbi’s side effectively need one point to confirm their top-flight status due to a better goal difference than West Ham's. But that is not a forgone conclusion, despite the fact that Everton are on a six-match winless run in the Premier League.

Only Manchester City and Arsenal have won more away points in 2025/26 than Everton (26). Spurs have won just two home games all season.

Those are statistics to strike fear into the hearts of Spurs fans, and to give hope to West Ham, who are relying on the man who won them the Uefa Conference League, David Moyes, to finish one half of the equation for his old team.

Spurs have clearly improved significantly since De Zerbi’s appointment but understandably his more progressive and front-footed philosophy has looked a little stuck against opponents who sit off in a mid-block and seek to frustrate, as we saw in the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland and 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United.

With an elite head coach like De Zerbi in charge, ready to take Spurs back towards the top end of the table next season, it is no exaggeration to say Sunday’s game is arguably the biggest ‘‘sliding doors’’ moment in the club’s history.

Can West Ham rise above their recent form with a back-to-basics approach?

What happens at Spurs becomes irrelevant if West Ham fail to beat Leeds, and after three consecutive Premier League defeats for the Hammers their supporters will arrive at the London Stadium more in hope than expectation.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have lost form at just the wrong moment, although the lessons learnt from the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United last weekend gives cause for optimism.

The 3-4-3 formation did not work but West Ham improved significantly after Nuno moved to a 4-2-3-1 in the 26th minute, by which point they were already 2-0 down. Meanwhile Crysencio Summerville looked back to his best for the first time since returning from injury in April. He completed six dribbles, his most in a Premier League game this season.

Assuming Nuno uses a more traditional 4-2-3-1 system and Summerville picks up from where he left off, West Ham have a fighting chance of getting the three points they need to apply pressure to Spurs.

Can Bournemouth achieve the unthinkable and claim a Champions League spot?

Erling Haaland’s late equaliser on Tuesday had no impact on Man City’s title bid – but it all but ended AFC Bournemouth’s hopes of finishing above Liverpool in fifth, bar a monumental swing in goal difference.

They can still do the unthinkable and qualify for the Uefa Champions League, however, but only if three results – including their own – go their way.

First and foremost, Bournemouth need to earn a point at the City Ground to secure sixth and no matter what happens elsewhere that would represent an extraordinary achievement for a club that only just avoided relegation to English football’s fifth tier as recently as 2008/09.

Andoni Iraola has already guaranteed Bournemouth will play in Europe next season for the very first time in their history. A draw at Nottingham Forest ensures they will finish sixth, which could mean a whole lot more.

If Liverpool beat Brentford and Aston Villa lose at Man City then Villa will finish fifth, which, after winning the Europa League on Wednesday evening, would gift the team in sixth a place in next season’s Champions League.

Iraola’s last match in charge promises to be a special occasion no matter what. If all those results go their way, it will be bedlam.

Can Sunderland grab a generational chance to get into Europe?

The race for Europe goes to the wire, a testament to the strength of this season’s competition and a compressed league table that has held right to the end. But a few clubs’ hopes were dashed by Chelsea’s victory against Spurs on Tuesday.

Although Newcastle, Fulham and Everton - all on 49 points - are all just three points short of eighth and a place in the Conference League, it is no longer possible for any of these clubs to finish above ninth. That’s because Sunderland host Chelsea on the final day, meaning Chelsea will finish on 53 or 55 points - with a draw or victory - or Sunderland will finish on 54 with a win.

Brighton & Hove Albion, in seventh, already have 53 points, thus guaranteeing that the club that finish eighth will have at least that many – which is out of reach for anyone currently below Sunderland in 10th.

The head-to-head at the Stadium of Light is, therefore, the most important match in the European scramble. Victory for the hosts would put the crown on an extraordinary season with, most likely, a place in the Conference League, unless Brentford beat Liverpool.

Sunderland haven’t played in Europe since the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup of 1974, their reward for winning the FA Cup the previous season. For a club that have won six top-flight titles, it is surprising that Sunderland have only ever played on the continent three times (including twice in Anglo-Italian Cup).

This is a generational opportunity for Regis Le Bris’ side.

Can Brighton rise to sixth and qualify for the Champions League football?

Brighton don’t need to worry about anyone else in the race for Europe. Beat Manchester United at the Amex Stadium and they are guaranteed to finish at least seventh, bringing Europa League qualification for just the second time in their history.

It could get a lot better than that, although they need a lot of results to go their way to finish sixth and claim a Champions League spot: a win against United, a defeat for Bournemouth, a win for Liverpool, and a defeat for Villa.

Arguably the least likely of those four results is their own. United are top of the Premier League form table since Michael Carrick’s first game in charge, winning 36 points from 16 matches.

Will Salah’s final game be overshadowed by Brentford’s hunt for Europe?

Mohamed Salah’s final game for Liverpool is a chance to celebrate an incredible nine years at Anfield, starring in two Premier League titles and a Champions League success in 2019.

Salah's numbers speak for themselves. He is fourth on the all-time Premier League goalscorer list, with 193 and third for combined goals and assists, with 286, behind only Alan Shearer (323) and Wayne Rooney (311).

Since 2017/18, when Salah made his Liverpool debut, he is streets ahead of the competition.

Salah is a Liverpool and Premier League legend and much will be made of his final appearance at Anfield on Sunday. But it might be Brentford supporters who go away happiest.

The Bees retain an outside chance of qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history, and if they make it to the Conference League then, based on Crystal Palace’s success this season - who will play in the final next Wednesday, Keith Andrews' side will back themselves to go all the way.

Brentford will be desperate for a positive result. It could give Salah’s send-off a surprising twist.

Can Fulham or Newcastle secure a top 10 finish?

Sunderland playing Chelsea means that, with at least one of those teams guaranteed to take points, eighth in this season’s Premier League table will have at least 53 points in total. Tuesday night’s results have ended Fulham’s and Newcastle’s hopes of European qualification.

But there is more than just pride to play for. The difference between finishing ninth and 14th – both possible for these sides – is worth over £10-million in prize money.

For Fulham, a strong finish feels particularly important, because a win could take Marco Silva's team up to 10th, and their second top 10 finish under the Portuguese.

Newcastle will also be keen to end on a high. Victory at Fulham would make it 10 points from their final four Premier League matches of the season, a final flourish that points to a brighter future – and saved the Magpies from the ignominy of a finish in the bottom five, a real possibility at the beginning of the month.

How will Palace and Arsenal prepare for their European finals?

Arsenal have done it. Twenty-two years on from the Invincibles, five years into the Mikel Arteta project and after months and months of agony this season when the title looked to be slipping through their fingers, when the narrow wins felt like torture.

It is a phenomenal achievement, make no mistake. Arteta has built this Arsenal team organically and from an historically low ebb in the Premier League.

Their critics may point to a relatively low points total, to the eight 1-0 wins, to football that is less appealing to watch than recent Premier League title winners, as evidenced in the victory that ultimately got them over the line: a nervy 1-0 win against Burnley, courtesy of Kai Havertz's header from a corner.

But Arsenal are worthy winners and deserve huge praise for finding an edge, for leaning into the Premier League’s newfound physicality and set-piece dependence.

And, of course, the style of football is undoubtedly connected to the tension and the angst as Arsenal chased down their title. Now it’s won, Arsenal may suddenly play with freedom this weekend.

Both Arsenal and Palace are preparing for European finals next week so it will be interesting to see if the managers decide to rotate their starting XI or try to build momentum with the players who will start their respective finals.

Will Villa’s Europa League success create a sixth UCL spot?

For months and months this fixture has been marked in the calendar as one of the most significant, with Arsenal fans wondering whether their old head coach Unai Emery might do them a favour on the final day. It is with huge relief in north London that the title is now not riding on this match anymore.

Well, for Arsenal and Man City, that is. Bournemouth and Brighton supporters will be desperate for Pep Guardiola’s side to win the three points; will be desperate for Villa’s celebrations on Wednesday evening to impact Sunday’s game.

Defeat for Villa, and a win for Liverpool, would put Villa into fifth and make sixth a Champions League spot available. The away side at the Etihad will no doubt, however, give it their all.

Who will win the battle against finishing bottom?

This game matters. Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers are the bottom two clubs and quite dramatically cut off from the rest but both will want to avoid the ignominy of finishing bottom.

Wolves, in particular, will see it as a small victory if they can win at Turf Moor and climb up into 19th.

Rob Edwards will want some momentum – and something to show for his team’s efforts – as they enter the summer and prepare for a campaign in the Championship. Finishing 19th would be a tangible sign that the future is bright.

Wolves won two points from their first 18 Premier League matches, a run that left many pundits predicting they would break Derby County’s record-low haul of 11 points in 2007/08.

To not only comfortably surpass that total but to climb off the bottom would be a considerable achievement.