Premier League
ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP: WHAT IS AT STAKE ON THE FINAL DAY
Places in Europe, the battle for safety and Golden awards mean there is something to play for in all 10 matches as the curtain falls on the English Premier League.
This Sunday all eyes will be on the final matches of the 2019/20 Premier League season as teams and players at both ends of the table still have much to play for.
While the champions have already been crowned, a number of sides are still in the race for European qualification, while three clubs are fighting for one last spot to stay up.
With many players also targeting individual awards, there is in fact something on the line in all 10 matches.
Here’s what’s at stake on what is sure to be a rollercoaster final day.
UEFA Champions League qualification
Three teams are vying for two remaining places in the top four, currently occupied by Manchester United and Chelsea.
Fifth-placed Leicester City still have their own destiny in their hands, though, as they host Manchester United in a winner-takes-all encounter, while Chelsea host a side with European ambitions of their own in Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Relegation battle
At the other end there is a three-way battle for safety.
Aston Villa, Watford and AFC Bournemouth fight for the one place to stay in the Premier League and it could all come down to goal difference, or even goals scored.
As it stands, Villa are the team who are safe and they travel to West Ham United knowing a draw would put them out of reach of AFC Bournemouth. Through goal difference, they can also stay above Watford by matching the Hornets’ result at Arsenal.
Golden Boot
With 23 goals, Jamie Vardy is in pole position to claim the Golden Boot award for the first time.
The Leicester striker has a two-goal lead over Southapton’s Danny Ings, with Pierre-Emeric Aubamenyang one further back in his quest to retain the prize presented by Cadbury.
Mohamed Salah and Raheem Sterling have each scored 19 goals and will not have given up hope of a late surge as they both face bottom-half opponents.
Golden Glove
There will also be a first-time winner of the Premier League’s top goalkeeping prize, for which the tussle could not be any tighter.
Nick Pope and Ederson each have 15 clean sheets ahead of home matches against Brighton & Hove Albion and Norwich City respectively.
Could they become just the second pair of goalkeepers to share the award, after Petr Cech and Wojciech Szczesny in 2013/14?
Playmaker award
Kevin De Bruyne is set to claim the playmaker of the Season award for the second time and he could do so in record-breaking fashion at home to Norwich City.
With 19 assists, the Manchester City midfielder is six clear of his nearest rival and is just one away from matching Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20 in a campaign as he prepares for a Sunday match that promises goals galore.
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- OBITUARY3 days ago
BREAKING: Nigerian Goalkeeping Legend Peter Rufai is dead
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Football Agent John Shittu Demands Retraction and ₦250 Million Damages from Samson Siasia Over Bribery Allegation
- FEDERATION CUP1 week ago
Kwara United Clinch Historic First Title as President Federation Cup Final Goes to Penalties for the 18th time
- FEDERATION CUP1 week ago
Rivers Angels Crowned 2025 Female Federation Cup Champions After Penalty Shootout Thriller
- OBITUARY3 days ago
Peter Rufai looked lean when I last saw him, says mourning NFF President, Gusau
- WAFCON1 day ago
Nigeria, Tunisia Set for High-Stakes WAFCON 2024 Clash in Casablanca
- OBITUARY3 days ago
Family issues statement on Peter Rufai
- IMMEMORIAL2 days ago
Peter Rufai’s Death Adds to Long List of July Tragedies in Nigerian Football