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Newcastle, Man City, Chelsea, Forest & Villa’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures Ranked
Robin Mumford
26 – 33 minutes
Summary
Nottingham Forest have the easiest run-in with their opponents’ average league position at 13.3.
Manchester City have a relatively smooth runway with an average league position of 11.8 for their remaining opponents.
Aston Villa faces tough competition with an average league position of 10.2, but are in a strong position riding a 5-game win streak.
The five Premier League clubs still scrapping for Champions League qualification have been ranked based on the difficulty of their final five fixtures. As things stand, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa are all in the thick of the race to book their ticket to Europe’s top table next season.
With Liverpool and Arsenal all but guaranteed to qualify, that leaves just three golden tickets up for grabs – thanks in part to England’s healthy UEFA coefficient, which means even fifth place gets a seat in Europe’s premier competition next term. Newcastle currently sit third with 59 points, while Aston Villa, down in seventh, are just two points adrift, with the rest jostling in between.
As we enter the final stretch, the pressure is cranking up and the margins are razor-thin. It’s shaping up to be one of the most thrilling finishes in recent memory. But on paper, who’s got the smoothest run-in – and who’s staring down the barrel of a fixture list from hell? We’ve crunched the numbers and put each team in order based on their remaining opponent’s average league position, starting with the team that has the easiest run of fixtures.
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5 Nottingham Forest
Remaining opponents’ average league position: 13.3
Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood celebrates
Nottingham Forest have, without a doubt, been the Premier League’s biggest surprise this season. Few, if any, could have predicted their meteoric rise under Nuno Espírito Santo, especially after narrowly avoiding relegation in the 2023/24 campaign, literally by the skin of their teeth.
With upcoming home games against mid-table Brentford and already-relegated Leicester City, the Tricky Trees will fancy their chances of securing a Champions League spot this time around. Their biggest hurdle looks to be a final-day showdown with Chelsea, but if they can take care of business in their game in hand against Tottenham on Monday night, they’ll leap back into third place on 60 points – three clear of Aston Villa in seventh, with a superior goal difference to boot.
Nottingham Forest’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures
Date
Opponents
Home/Away
April 21
Tottenham
Away
May 1
Brentford
Home
May 5
Crystal Palace
Away
May 11
Leicester City
Home
May 18
West Ham United
Away
May 25
Chelsea
Home
4 Manchester City
Remaining opponents’ average league position: 11.8
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola
Normally, Manchester City make assignments like this one feel less like a fixture list and more like divine choreography – as if it’s all part of God’s plan rather than grit and graft. But this season, the reigning champions have looked anything but celestial, stumbling through a campaign that’s felt more offbeat than on-brand for their usual trophy-hoarding rhythm.
Even so, with Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell tour in full swing, you can bet they’ll be aiming to send him off in style. Facing opposition with an average league position of 11.8 should offer a relatively smooth runway. Their trickiest test comes in the form of a home clash with Aston Villa, but with Wolves and basement-bound Southampton to follow, it feels more like a grace period than a gauntlet. Bournemouth and Fulham round off the run-in – both matches City will back themselves to squeeze through.
Manchester City’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures
Date
Opponents
Home/Away
April 22
Aston Villa
Home
May 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Home
May 10
Southampton
Away
May 18
Bournemouth
Home
May 25
Fulham
Away
3 Aston Villa
Remaining opponents’ average league position: 10.2
Aston Villa players celebrating a goal against Celtic in the UEFA Champions League
Aston Villa are flying – five straight Premier League wins under their belt make them the hottest team in England right now. But with trips to both Manchester clubs bookending a tricky final stretch that also includes a showdown with Andoni Iraola’s gritty, Europe-chasing Bournemouth, Unai Emery’s men are about to find out just how long they can keep riding this purple patch.
Still, that’s all ifs, buts, and sliding doors, and with Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins both running riot lately, you’d be brave to bet against the Villans making a serious push. No matter how the season ends, it’s already shaping up to be another standout campaign. After early doubts about whether the Midlands side could balance the weight of continental football with the grind of the Premier League, they’ve silenced critics and done exactly that – with an FA Cup semi-final thrown in for good measure.
Aston Villa’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures
Date
Opponents
Home/Away
April 22
Manchester City
Away
May 3
Fulham
Home
May 10
Bournemouth
Away
May 18
Tottenham
Home
May 25
Manchester United
Away
2 Newcastle United
Remaining opponents’ average league position: 9.6
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe applauding
The Eddie Howe project may have required a little more patience than first expected when Newcastle were taken over by their rich Saudi Arabian hierarchy in 2021. But patience, more often than not, is a virtue, and after guiding the Magpies to their first piece of silverware in 70 years in the shape of a League Cup, any extra success this season is just a welcome bonus.
Howe’s pretty lucky he has good faith in the bank, seeing as, if the Magpies have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League, they must find victories away from home against a resurgent Brighton and runners-up Arsenal. Although, a home tie against Ipswich Town should provide some sort of relief in a gauntlet that sees them face opposition with an average league position of 9.6 – a pretty scary proposition considering their next fixture is against 18th-placed rivals at home, showing just how strong their other opponents are.
Newcastle United’s Remaining Premier League Fixtures
Date
Opponents
Home/Away
April 26
Ipswich Town
Home
May 4
Brighton & Hove Albion
Away
May 11
Chelsea
Home
May 18
Arsenal
Away
May 25
Everton
Home
1 Chelsea
Remaining opponents’ average league position: 7.4
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca speaks with Chelsea’s Cole Palmer
On paper, it should’ve been a formality – Chelsea, the club that’s spent more than anyone else in the country over the past five years, walking into Champions League qualification like it was their birthright. And while it might be Enzo Maresca’s maiden voyage at the helm of Stamford Bridge, the expectations remain sky-high. Anything less than the bare minimum, and the excuses will wear thin fast.
Yet here they are, staring up the steepest hill of the lot, after a post-New Year run that’s been more blip than bounce. A tricky home double-header against Everton and Liverpool kicks off the final stretch, followed by a brutal run: Manchester United visiting the Bridge, sandwiched between away days at top-five rivals Newcastle and Nottingham Forest. If they can’t find a winning formula soon, Maresca’s seat might start feeling a little warmer than he’d like.
