Our last taste of Premier League football until August rolls around on Sunday. The final day of the season sees all 10 games taking place at the same time. Even if there won’t be that much final day drama, we still will want to tune in ahead of a long summer without club football.
With that in mind, we’ve looked through the remaining games and picked out four to preview here. There may not be much riding on some of them, but there’s always some good betting value to be found on the final day. We’re looking at the meeting of the last current and former champions plus the fight for fourth place. On top of that, we’ll cast a glance over the Newcastle meeting with Tottenham at St James’ Park. We also have a betting tip for each game, so you can have an interest in some of the less meaningful clashes.
Sunday 15th May 2016
Chelsea v Leicester (15:00) – Jamie Vardy to score any time (6/4 with Coral)
Who would have thought this game would be a clash between the last two Premier League champions? A year on from receiving a guard of honour themselves, Chelsea will be rolling out the red carpet for Leicester. That carpet will likely bring back bad memories for John Terry, who misses what would have been his last Stamford Bridge game. His red card at Sunderland last week ruled him out for the following two games, and he’s set to leave on a free during the summer.
Jamie Vardy will have been boosted by that news, as he aims to win the Premier League golden boot. The Foxes aren’t content with their league title, they want their star forward winning more. Vardy and Sergio Aguero trail Harry Kane by a goal, and any of those three could win it. We aren’t sure if things will swing Vardy’s way, but he’ll certainly push to win it. He should have no problems against this poor Chelsea back four. A goal from Vardy here is our tip at 6/4 with Coral.
Swansea v Manchester City (15:00) – Swansea to win draw no bet (11/4 with Bet365)
Manchester City are left sweating over their Champions League future in Manuel Pellegrini’s last game. They head to Wales with more pressing matters than Aguero’s hopes of winning the Golden Boot. The City players won’t want to be playing or Pep Guardiola in the Europa League, especially at the expense of Manchester United. Can the Citizens help their push for the top four with a win over mid-table Swansea? The Swans have nothing to play for themselves, so this really should be the kind of game where City turn up and take what they need. We aren’t sure that’s how it will pan out, however.
Swansea seem to have had their end of season lull early. They secured survival, and then went off the boil. They barely lifted a finger for a few games, and that saw them receive some very heavy beatings. They did bounce back from that, and their last two results have been very impressive. They beat Liverpool at home, then won 4-1 at West Ham. With that kind of form, we see them causing City problems. This City team haven’t been at their best in the last few months, so they don’t fill us with confidence. Swansea draw no bet is our tip at 11/4 with Bet365.
Manchester United v Bournemouth (15:00) – United to win to nil (11/10 with Coral)
Should that bet come in, it would be music to the ears of Louis van Gaal. That would have United well on their way to Champions League football. The Red Devils face Bournemouth on the final day, and they’re expected to comfortably win this one. They’re odds on to finish the league campaign with a victory, ahead of the FA Cup final the following weekend. If they could make the top four now, this could be a great end to what has been an awful few months at Old Trafford.
United’s football hasn’t been great, but they’ve been strong at the back. Their creative talents aren’t allowed to express themselves, but they usually manage to pinch a goal. We see something similar happening here, as Bournemouth seem ready for this season to end. They’ve had a solid year, and now they need to go about improving the squad ahead of next term. United should have more than enough to finish the season with three points, probably in their usual style. We’re backing a home win and clean sheet for Van Gaal’s team, which is priced at 11/10 with Coral.
Newcastle v Tottenham (15:00) – Tottenham to win (5/4 with SkyBet)
Tottenham haven’t responded too well since their title hopes slipped away at Stamford Bridge. They ended that game by jumping into stupid tackles, then they lost at home to Southampton. That wobble didn’t seem to be that major after they lost the chance of winning the league, but it has brought about a scary possibility for Spurs supporters. After such an incredible year, full of performances to be proud of, they could drop behind Arsenal on the final day. Could there be a collapse at Newcastle which lets the Gunners back into second place?
Arsenal are at home to Aston Villa in their last game. Which is another way of saying that they’re certain to pick up three points. That means if Spurs lose here, they could slip to third. That would have no bearing on their Champions League entry next season, but it would be a huge blow to their supporters regardless. We don’t see that being an issue for Spurs, as they should be able to beat this Newcastle side. Even at their most desperate, the Magpies failed to beat Villa. They’re quite a poor side, and that’s why we see Spurs as good value at 5/4 with Sky Bet.