2022/23 Premier League: Final Day Preview

The final day of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign is upon us and the fates of certain clubs are yet to be decided

The final day of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign on Sunday is set to be full of enthralling action. There will be nerves at both ends of the table, as two relegation spots are yet to be decided and there will be a three way battle for 7^th place, which is the final position that offers European Football for next season.

The battle to avoid relegation to the Championship has three clubs in danger of the drop. Leeds United, Leicester City and Everton are still fighting for their Premier League lives after Nottingham Forest secured their spot in the top flight for next season following a statement win against Arsenal at the City Ground on Saturday.

The team most at risk is Leeds United who currently occupy 19^th place with 31 points, and 2 from safety. They did have an opportunity to escape the relegation zone last weekend against West Ham United at the London Stadium, but despite taking the lead Sam Allardyce’s side lost 3-1 on the day and fell to 19^th to where they are now with just one match remaining.

Leeds United will be coming face to face with Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on the final day, but their fate will not be in their hands. They will of course need to take all three points against Ryan Mason’s side and hope that Everton lose their match against Bournemouth and that Leicester City don’t beat West Ham at the King Power Stadium.

Leeds’s match against Spurs has an influence on the race for European Football, but for now let’s stay with the relegation battle.

Leicester City are also in danger of relegation. The decline of the Foxes over the course of the season has been a surprise for some. Leicester of course won the Premier League title in 2015/16 before going on to win the FA Cup in 2021. On top of this, they have finished in the top six in 2 of the last 3 seasons.

However, this season has seen Brendan Rodgers sacked and replaced by ex-Aston Villa and Brentford Manager Dean Smith. Fortunes have not turned around for Leicester since his appointment, but Premier League safety is still possible.

They increased their chances of survival with a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United at St. James’s Park on Monday. Smith’s Foxes are also just 2 points from safety but they will have to beat West Ham and hope that Everton do not beat Bournemouth.

Sean Dyche’s Everton are in the strongest position of the three teams still threatened with relegation. They sit in 17^th place with 33 points and 2 above the bottom three ahead of the Premier League’s Final Day.

It was a 1-1 draw for the Toffees at Molineux against Julen Lopetegui’s Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out. This was a point which was secured in the last seconds of the match through a goal from Colombian central defender Yerry Mina.

Dyche’s Blues are set to play Bournemouth on the final day knowing that a victory will secure their Premier League status for next season, irrespective of what happens in Leicester and Leeds’s games against Tottenham and West Ham United respectively.

Let’s move on to the fight for European Football for next season.

Manchester United secured a top four finish and a spot in the Champions League for next season after their comfortable 4-1 victory against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Thursday evening. However, there is still one European spot which is yet to be decided.

Aston Villa are currently front runners to finish 7^th which would see Unai Emery’s Villans qualify for next season’s Europa Conference League. Villa sit in 7^th with 58 points, and are a point ahead of Spurs in 8^th and 3 ahead of Thomas Frank’s Brentford who are currently in 9^th place.

Brighton & Hove Albion are the Villans’ next opponents, and the two clubs will come face to face at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon. Roberto De Zerbi’s side have already secured Europa League football after playing out a 1-1 draw against Premier League Champions Manchester City at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday evening.

If Villa win, they will secure European Football for the first time in more than 10 years and it would not matter what happened in the matches involving Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs will be travelling to Elland Road to play Leeds on the final day knowing that they will need to win and hope that Villa do not beat Brighton. Mason’s team will want to make up for their 3-1 defeat against Brentford last time out by securing European Football for next season.

Brentford perhaps have the most difficult fixture out of all the teams seeking European Football for next season against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Frank’s Bees do of course have every chance, but they will need Villa to not beat Brighton and for Spurs to draw or lose against Leeds on Sunday.

The final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season promises to be tense and enthralling for clubs at the top and bottom of the table with lots at stake for a plethora of clubs across the country.

At Eventmasters, we are already excited for the 2023/24 Premier League season. Come back to this website in future for when the fixtures are released on Thursday 15^th June 2023.