Manchester City and Chelsea Have Been Fixed - So Who Finishes In The Champions League Spots?

Nottingham Forest

If you were to even suggest that Nottingham Forest could mount a Champions League charge before a ball was kicked this season, you would likely have been called a range of names and told never to speak about football ever again. Yet here we are discussing them as the team in the driving seat for third place. Their sixty points currently put them fourth, having played a game fewer than Manchester City.

Nuno Espirito Santo's men came under scrutiny after losing back-to-back league games to Aston Villa and Everton, but bounced back with a dominant showing away at Tottenham Hotspur - the highlight of which was certainly Henry Toffolo's mind-boggling piece of acrobatics to clear the ball off his own line.

Momentum is with the City Ground, and with four of their remaining five games coming against teams in the bottom half, it's hard to see a world in which they slip away from third place.

Remaining Fixtures

Brentford (H)

Crystal Palace (A)

Leicester (H)

West Ham (A)

Chelsea (H)

Predicted Finish: 3rd

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has been to footballing hell and back this season. Having achieved what he has: the centurions, the treble and four league titles in a row, he was left questioning his philosophy as Manchester City have slumped to now be guaranteed their lowest points total since 2015/16.

At one point, it looked like it might be worse than that. One win in nine league games from November to boxing day. Balon d'Or winner Rodri injured, and a squad that, despite its cost, looked unproven and unprepared to fight back.

Yet after a last-gasp winner against Villa which built on the back of an attritional victory at Goodison Park, things look to be bright on the blue side of Manchester once again. They've won four of their last five, and more importantly, look like the City we've come to know in recent years. Bernardo Silva's form has reignited, and an injection of youth - from Nico O'Reilly and James McAtee - looks likely to save their season.

City are potentially back to their best, and with favourable fixtures in their closing stretch, it is hard to go against the Citizens seizing one of the Champions League spots.

Remaining Fixtures

Wolves (H)

Southampton (A)

Bournemouth (H)

Fulham (A)

Predicted Finish: 4th

This is where things get a bit tricky. You can make compelling arguments for why each of Newcastle, Chelsea and Villa will clinch fifth spot. So that's what I've done, and I've given my verdict at the end.

Newcastle

Prior to Saturday, Newcastle had won five league games in a row and were staking a serious claim to fifth place. They were passing every test with flying colours and riding the momentum from the Carabao Cup win straight into next season's Champions League.

But they were absolutely terrible against Villa on Saturday, and the fight has been blown wide open as a result. Eddie Howe's back four won just nine out of twenty-five duels between them at Villa Park, which is among their lowest figures of the season. Even Bruno Guimaraes, who has won more duels than any other Premier League player this season, won less than 50% of his.

Having said that, they were nothing short of exceptional prior to the Villa game. Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes have stepped up to take the goalscoring impetus away from Alexander Isak. The two Englishmen have seven goals and five assists in their last five games. If the Villa rout was a blip, they should be able to bounceback in style when they host Ipswich this weekend.

Even Newcastle's remaining fixtures are difficult to judge. They host Chelsea, which is either a great way to extend their lead on the Blues or a fast-track ticket to the Europa League, and aside from that, they have tricky away visits to Arsenal and Brighton - games they can win, but also potential banana-skins.

The biggest thing in their favour is perhaps the two-point buffer they have on the other two teams vying for fifth place, which could be the perfect safety cushion to get them over the line.

Remaining Fixtures

Ipswich (H)

Brighton (A)

Chelsea (H)

Arsenal (A)

Everton (H)

Aston Villa

One must beware of Unai Emery. Written off after Arsenal - won a Europa League trophy. His team written off after one leg against PSG - came touching distance of a Goliath comeback. Even though Villa have played a game more than Newcastle or Chelsea, it would be foolish to count the Spaniard's side out.

If their showing against Newcastle was anything to go by, they are a team on a mission, fuelled by a determination to right the wrongs of this season's quarter final. Youri Tielemans looked like a man possessed with three key passes and ninety-nine touches to go with his assist to Ollie Watkins in the first minute.

Then there is the second leg of the PSG game. 3-2 winners on the night and a tactical showing that almost caught Europe's most exciting team off guard.

They came within seconds of a point at the Etihad yesterday - and while they have testing remaining fixtures, they are all games you would expect them to win.

The smart money probably wouldn't be on Villa, but with five wins in six and Emery in the dugout, you cannot count them out.

Remaining Fixtures

Fulham (H)

Bournemouth (A)

Tottenham Hotspur (H)

Manchester United (A)

Chelsea

Then we've got the other giant in this list. With City sat (in my view at least) fairly comfortably to take fourth spot, Enzo Maresca has been dragged into a fight he would rather have avoided - especially after they were almost top of the league at Christmas.

Having said that, their turnaround at Craven Cottage on Sunday was nothing short of inspiring. Pedro Neto's performance to grab the game by its scruff and seize a potentially vital three points should not be underestimated if Chelsea are to finish in the top five.

Another thing in Chelsea's favour is arguably their squad. While not comfortably better than Newcastle or Villa's, they certainly have the strength in depth to be able to win games in different ways - while keeping both players' legs and playing styles fresh,

This could be crucial in their remaining games. They visit both Newcastle and Forest, and will certainly need a win at St James' Park in order to leapfrog the Magpies. It will be tough, particularly with the previously explosive partnership of Nicholas Jackson and Cole Palmer seeming to fade since the Senegalese returned from injury - he hasn't scored in three starts.

Yet they have a game in hand on Villa and their aforementioned trip to St James' Park means they certainly have a fighting chance.

Remaining Fixtures

Everton (H)

Liverpool (H)

Newcastle (A)

Manchester United (H)

Nottingham Forest (A)

The Verdict

5th: Newcastle

6th: Aston Villa

7th: Chelsea

Too close to call with confidence, but it does feel like Newcastle's mix of points on the board and favourable fixtures has them in the driving seat for the final Champions League place. Howe's squad also mostly have the added bonus of having experienced a Champions League battle before - which can't be said for Chelsea.

Chelsea's tough fixtures and unconvincing form mean that it's difficult to see them making a convincing push for fifth, and while Emery is a miracle worker, it feels like he's left himself a bit too much to do with too little time.