Premier League Week 30 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions for Matchday 30
The Premier League trophy inched its way towards west London last weekend, as Manchester City surprisingly collapsed against relegation candidate Burnley.
The EPL champions have been less formidable this season, leaving Jose Mourinho's Chelsea six points clear after their draw against Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
City's loss has blown apart the race for the Champions League places, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool all within four points of the Sky Blues.
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The big game in Matchday 30 sees Louis van Gaal's United visit a resurgent Liverpool at Anfield, with the stakes as high as they have been in a north-west derby for many years.
Here are the full fixtures for the weekend, with kick-off times and score predictions:
| Saturday, March 21 | 12:45 p.m. GMT/8:45 a.m. ET | Man City | 3-1 | West Brom |
| Saturday, March 21 | 3 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Aston Villa | 2-1 | Swansea |
| Saturday, March 21 | 3 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Newcastle | 1-2 | Arsenal |
| Saturday, March 21 | 3 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Southampton | 2-0 | Burnley |
| Saturday, March 21 | 3 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Spurs | 1-1 | Leicester |
| Saturday, March 21 | 3 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Stoke | 1-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, March 21 | 5:30 p.m. GMT/1:30 p.m. ET | West Ham | 1-2 | Sunderland |
| Sunday, March 22 | 1:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 p.m. ET | Liverpool | 1-1 | Man Utd |
| Sunday, March 22 | 4 p.m. GMT/12 a.m. ET | Hull | 1-2 | Chelsea |
| Sunday, March 22 | 4 p.m. GMT/12 a.m. ET | QPR | 2-2 | Everton |
Liverpool v Manchester United
Despite Manchester United taking residence in the top four for most of the campaign, the team's lack of attacking form appeared it would be LvG's undoing in the final weeks of the season.
However, the Red Devils clicked into gear on Sunday as they deconstructed a visiting Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, winning 3-0 and playing their best football under the Dutch coach since his arrival.
It was the United of old, with a swagger in their play and an intent to beat their opponent with wave after wave of attacking football.
It is the first time we have seen Van Gaal allow his team the freedom to express themselves, and it paid dividends in terms of the result.
The biggest compliment one could pay United, on the day, is Harry Kane was wholly ineffective, as Wayne Rooney and Co. played on the front foot.
In contrast, Liverpool visited Swansea City on Monday night, and edged their hosts out of the three points in a hotly contested match.
The Swans dominated proceedings in the first half, but a fortunate goal by Jordan Henderson kept the Reds within striking distance of United in the EPL standings.
Henderson has become a key figure for Brendan Rodgers in the past few months and it seems that the England international's form will certainly soften the blow of Steven Gerrard's departure.
The 24-year-old club captain-in-waiting now has five goals and seven assists to his name in 28 Premier League appearances, per WhoScored.com.
Bleacher Report UK highlighted Liverpool's success as a Henderson-lead unit, providing statistics of the Reds' quality under the player's captaincy:
And Martha Kelner of the Mail Online commented on Henderson's meteoric rise through Liverpool's squad since his capture from Sunderland in 2011, professing he is now one of the country's best players:
"There has been nothing fortuitous about the manner of his [Henderson] improvement over the past two years. He has blossomed from a player talked about in the same breath as Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam—as examples of how Liverpool wasted the money from the sale of Fernando Torres—to England’s best midfielder.
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Rodgers must now choose whether to reinstate the ageing Gerrard to his role of captain—after appearing as a substitute at Swansea—or stick with the effervescent Henderson, who has helped breathe new life into Liverpool's charge towards the top four.
It seemed only yesterday that Rodgers could be facing the sack as his team faltered in the early part of the campaign, but they are well and truly back on course for a spectacular finish, similar to last year.
United look in stronger shape now, but have struggled on their travels. Liverpool are unbeaten in the EPL since December, per Kelner, and will feel they have the attacking qualities in their side to beat their north-west rivals.
Henderson and Co. are the surprise package of the current calendar year but their success hinges on toppling a Van Gaal team who have shut opponents down through 2014-15, and stolen points with remarkable consistency.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United
Manchester City v West Brom
It seems Manchester City are encapsulated in Groundhog Day once again as their title defence mirrors that of two years previous.
After bringing the EPL crown to the Etihad for the first time, with Roberto Mancini in charge, City then appeared apathetic and lacklustre during the following campaign, ending in Mancini's dismissal.
And history appears to now be repeating itself as Manuel Pellegrini walks the plank, as his City team look anything but concerned about retaining the title.
The Sky Blues have slipped to ninth in the Premier League form guide, but they are still only six points behind leaders Chelsea.
Much of City's recent fall revolves around Sergio Aguero's lack of form in front of goal. The Argentine wizard has inspired City to their greatest successes since his arrival in 2011 but injury has robbed him of finding consistency and potency in combination.
But City loanee Frank Lampard believes Aguero still is the key individual for his club, and described the forward as a "genius" to Match of the Day magazine, per James Andrew of the Mail Online:
"Football comes easy to him—he bounces into training without a care in the world, then plays like a genius. I’m intense about my football and if I have a bad day I can get quite upset, so it’s always nice to see someone like Sergio, who also has bad days but just smiles it away!
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Pellegrini's men now face a West Brom side who have suffered the fate of losing their No. 1 for a month, with the news of Ben Foster's knee injury, per BBC Sport.
Tony Pulis' outfit are starting to morph into a strong defensive side—as Pulis teams always are—but the loss of Foster will give City a much larger advantage.
City need Aguero to find his scoring boots and they need him to do it now. Without the striker on his game, they have a distinct lack of ammunition to beat opponents, and the goalless effort against Burnley proves this.
Pellegrini—much like Mancini before—is living on borrowed time. Arsenal and United now sit within a solitary win of the champions, and if City slip below second place, the Chilean coach will surely be shown the door at Eastlands.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 West Brom
