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3 things to look out for in EPL finale

By on May 13, 2016

As the 2015/2016 Premier League season culminates in a grand finale on Saturday, we take a quick look across the league at the three things to look out for this weekend.

Can Manchester City avoid disaster?

Winless in their last four matches, Manchester City visit Swansea City on Saturday morning in crisis aversion mode. A 2-2 draw with Arsenal last weekend briefly handed Manchester United control over fourth place and a Champions League spot, but United’s loss to West Ham United on Wednesday put City back in the driver’s seat.

Manuel Pellegrini will be without captain Vincent Kompany, and Swansea are coming off of two fantastic wins over West Ham United and Liverpool, shipping seven goals past the two European hopefuls. Andre Ayew, who has scored three goals in his last two games, will look to continue his scoring streak against City.

Farewell to Flores

Watford manager Quique Sanchez Florez will wave an emotional farewell to Vicarage Road as the Hornets take on Sunderland. The Spaniard was sacked early on Friday after a meeting with the owners and the board.

The fifty-one-year-old was appointed just last June following the club’s promotion to the Premier League, and although Watford are thirteenth in the league, the board took the decision to part ways with Flores given Watford’s recent slump. Flores’ men have won just two of their last eleven games and have perhaps been victims to the high expectations they set at the start of the season.

The Vicarage Road faithful will be split on the decision to sack one of the league’s most likable managers, a decision West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic called “sick and crazy”.

Can Arsenal pip Tottenham to third?

It’s that time again for Arsenal, that end of the year homestretch when they contemplate the many new ways they have managed to make a third-placed finish somehow disappointing. Arsene Wenger’s men will host rock bottom Aston Villa at the Emirates and although Arsenal have been the most consistent and stable of the traditional big four, many have viewed this season as a wasted opportunity at glory for the Gunners.

If there’s a silver lining to be found for Arsenal, it’s the potential to nip ahead of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur if Spurs slip up against Newcastle United. On the whole, it would be a thoroughly undeserved feat, but with Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla returning from injury, Arsenal will nevertheless retain a glint of hope heading into their last fixture of the season.

Homepage photo credit: Franziska, via Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.