A look at the key Premier League fixtures in May

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We’ve now entered the final month of the 2024/25 Premier League season and there is still plenty left to play for despite the title and relegation matters already being resolved.

The main focus is now on European qualification with the race for Champions League football as tight as it could be. Arsenal are being dragged back into the thick of things after a poor run of domestic form, with Mikel Arteta’s side distracted by their involvement in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Six teams are now battling for the four remaining Champions League qualification places. Two from Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are going to be left bitterly disappointed.

Let’s look at some of the key Premier League fixtures coming up in May:

Chelsea vs Liverpool

Chelsea started the season well but have seen there CL qualification hopes derail in recent weeks following some disappointing results. The Blues sit 5th in the table but are level on points with sixth-placed Forest and Aston Villa – who are seventh – so things couldn’t be tighter. Liverpool will head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday May 4th as champions so this is going to be an extremely tough game for Chelsea.

The Reds have been formidable all season and Arne Slot’s side will want to end a memorable campaign strongly. They still have the chance of finishing with 94 points, which would be a sensational tally in Slot’s first season in charge at Anfield.

Chelsea come into the game off the back of wins over Fulham and Everton, while they also all-but booked their place in the Conference League final with a 4-1 away win over Djurgarden, so fans with Chelsea tickets should be in confident mood. But Liverpool will obviously provide a much sterner test and will expect to take something back to Merseyside from this match.

Newcastle United vs Chelsea

In what will be a pivotal game in the race for CL qualification, fourth-placed Newcastle United take on Chelsea at St James’ Park on Sunday May 11th. Newcastle have made a late run for the top five with a superb record of six wins from their last seven games putting them right in the mix.

A disappointing 4-1 defeat away to Villa last month was the only blot on an otherwise faultless record, and Eddie Howe’s men will be confident of picking up another victory on home soil against Chelsea.

A win for the Geordies would give them a real boost in the pursuit of CL qualification. On the flip side, if Chelsea drop points against both Liverpool and Newcastle, they’ll be facing an uphill battle to finish in the top five this season.

Liverpool vs Arsenal

In what was meant to be a potential title-decider, newly crowned champions Liverpool take on second placed Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday 11th May. The Gunners have been Liverpool’s closest rivals for most of the campaign but Mikel Arteta’s injury-hit squad just hasn’t been able to keep pace with the run-away leaders.

Arsenal have fallen away badly in recent weeks with poor results against West Ham, Everton, Brentford and Crystal Palace leaving them a whopping 15 points behind Liverpool. The Reds have been unstoppable, and wrapped up the title with a resounding 5-1 comeback win over Tottenahm at Anfield last weekend.

With this match taking place just days after Arsenal’s CL semi-final second leg away to PSG, it will be extremely difficult for the Gunners to get a positive result at Anfield. Defeat would drag the North Londoners back into the chasing pack and put them at real risk of finishing third or worse this season.

Chelsea vs Man Utd

Chelsea’s tough run-in continues when they host Manchester United on Friday 16th May. While United have struggled badly in the league this season, this will always be a marquee game in the fixture list and Chelsea vs Manchester United tickets will always be in high demand.

If the Blues drop points in their previous games against Liverpool and Newcastle, this match versus United will be a must-win for Enzo Maresca’s side if they want to stand a chance of finishing in the top five.

For Man Utd, they have very little left to play for in the league as they sit way down in 15th position after a disastrous campaign. Ruben Amorim’s men are fully focussed on the Europa League having put one foot in the final with a 3-0 first leg victory over Athletic Bilbao, so this could be a good chance for Chelsea to get three vital points on the board.

Arsenal vs Newcastle

The chase for CL qualification will reach fever pitch when Arsenal entertain Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday May 18th. If the Gunners lose away to Liverpool the previous week, they will be under real pressure to get something from this game or they risk going into the final game of the season with CL qualification still uncertain.

Newcastle have become something of a bogey team for Arsenal and they won the reverse fixture at St James’ Park earlier in the season. The Gunners have struggled for form in the PL in recent weeks and if they crash out of the CL to PSG, it will be hard for Arteta to pick his players up to finish the season strongly in the PL.

This will be a pivotal game in the race for the top five with both sides desperate for points ahead of the final weekend of the season.

Forest vs Chelsea

Undoubtedly, the key fixture on the last day of the campaign will be at the City Ground where Nottingham Forest take on Chelsea. Both sides should still be in the fight for the top five by the last day, so the result from this game will be huge.

Forest have been one of the surprise packages this season as not many had them down as CL contenders last August. They’ve been outstanding this year and have sat third for much of the campaign, so it would be hugely disappointing for them if they missed out on CL qualification.

Chelsea have the toughest run of all the teams vying for those all-important CL places and they’ll most likely need a positive result at the City Ground on May 25th if they want to stand a chance of being in Europe’s top tier competition next season.

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