Premier League Week 36 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions for Matchday 36

After Chelsea secured the Premier League title last weekend, there will be a shift in focus toward other battles ongoing during the upcoming round of fixtures.

The new champions host Liverpool on Sunday in what looks like the standout fixture. Brendan Rodgers’ men have endured a tough campaign, but a win here would preserve their outside chance of securing a Champions League spot for next season. Their rivals for that berth are Manchester United, who face a tough trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.  

At the bottom, things are getting very tight, too. Sunderland kick-start the weekend with a trip to Everton, while Hull City, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Leicester City will all be desperate to make the most of winnable home games in their bid to stay afloat.

R	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	35	25	8	2	69	27	+42	83
2	Manchester City	35	21	7	7	71	36	+35	70
3	Arsenal	34	21	7	6	66	33	+33	70
4	Manchester United	35	19	8	8	59	35	+24	65
5	Liverpool	35	18	7	10	49	38	+11	61
6	Tottenham	35	17	7	11	55	50	+5	58
7	Southampton	35	17	6	12	48	28	+20	57
8	Swansea	35	15	8	12	43	44	-1	53
9	West Ham	35	12	11	12	43	42	+1	47
10	Stoke	35	13	8	14	39	44	-5	47
11	Everton	35	11	11	13	46	46	0	44
12	Crystal Palace	35	11	9	15	42	48	-6	42
13	West Bromwich Albion	35	10	10	15	33	46	-13	40
14	Aston Villa	35	9	8	18	29	50	-21	35
15	Newcastle United	35	9	8	18	36	60	-24	35
16	Leicester	35	9	7	19	39	54	-15	34
17	Hull	35	8	10	17	33	48	-15	34
18	Sunderland	34	6	15	13	28	50	-22	33
19	Queens Park Rangers	35	7	6	22	39	61	-22	27
20	Burnley	35	5	11	19	26	53	-27	26

Date	Time (BST)	Fixture	Prediction
Saturday, May 9	12:45 p.m.	Everton vs. Sunderland	1-1
Saturday, May 9	3 p.m.	Aston Villa vs. West Ham United	2-1
Saturday, May 9	3 p.m.	Hull City vs. Burnley	1-0
Saturday, May 9	3 p.m.	Leicester City vs. Southampton	2-2
Saturday, May 9	3 p.m.	Newcastle United vs. West Brom	0-1
Saturday, May 9	3 p.m.	Stoke City vs. Tottenham Hotspur	1-1
Saturday, May 9	5:30 p.m.	Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United	2-2
Sunday, May 10	1:30 p.m.	Manchester City vs. QPR	2-0
Sunday, May 10	4 p.m.	Chelsea vs. Liverpool	1-1
Monday, May 11	8 p.m.	Swansea vs. Arsenal	3-0

Here’s a full list of fixtures to come, with predictions on which teams are poised to come out on top and a detailed look at two of the standout games.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool

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The rivalry between these two clubs is a very modern one, and you suspect it’ll be galling for those in red to be in situ for Chelsea’s title party. But Rodgers’ men travel to Stamford Bridge knowing they have a job to do if they’re to salvage something from this season.

However, the manager has admitted his team will give their rivals the customary guard of honour that champions receive, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. Reds supporter and writer for The Times, Tony Barrett, doesn’t see a problem with it:

If anything, the fact that the title is already secured is probably a good thing for the visitors. It’s only natural there will be a subconscious relaxation among the Chelsea players, and the Reds must do their utmost to capitalise if any complacencies do creep in.

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But of all the title winners in Premier League history, this team is probably the most unlikely to take their foot off of the gas. Blues manager Jose Mourinho will ensure standards remain high in his squad coming into this match, and while the big prize is already secured, he’ll want to add the gloss to an excellent campaign with a win over the Merseysiders.

As we can see here, the Portuguese boss has taken great pleasure sticking the knife in against the Reds previously:

Liverpool should be more committed, more energetic and more purposeful in their play in this one, however. As such, expect them to get a vital point in this game, and if United suffer a fourth defeat in succession when they visit Selhurst Park, it’s a result that will keep their top-four chances very much alive.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

Everton vs. Sunderland

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After taking four points from the last six available, Sunderland's survival chances are well intact. But given the good form of a host of teams striving to avoid the drop, it’s imperative they keep up their positive run when they head to Merseyside to take on Everton this weekend.

Playing before the rest of the teams, this match is a brilliant chance for the Black Cats to put some pressure on their positional rivals. Things are so tight at the bottom of the league that a win here for Dick Advocaat’s side would push them up to 14th in the table before the 3 p.m. kick-offs get underway.

In the aftermath of their win over Southampton last time out, the Dutch boss paid tribute to the renewed team ethic, per George Caulkin of The Times:

Everton are probably ideal opposition, too. After a decent run of recent results, the Toffees reverted to the poor defensive form that has blighted the majority of their season so far, losing 3-2 away at Aston Villa. The Black Cats actually picked up a brilliant 1-0 win at Goodison Park last season, too.

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Stranded in midtable, expect the home of the Toffees to be engulfed by an end-of-season malaise, and with fire in their bellies, look for Sunderland to take something from this game. With clashes against Leicester, Arsenal and Chelsea to come, for their survival chances, it’s absolutely imperative that they do so.

Prediction: Everton 1-1 Sunderland