By Jude Summerfield
A reduced slate of Premier League action takes place this weekend but there'll be no shortage of drama and entertainment across the top flight.
Liverpool and Chelsea contest the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, leaving Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town without fixtures to fulfil, but the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City feature in matches with direct implications in the title and European place races.
With plenty at stake across the Premier League, here's how 90min see Gameweek 26 playing out.
Saturday 24 February
There's no early kick-off on Saturday, with the televised fixtures coming in the evening at 17:30 and 20:00 GMT.
Aston Villa's clash with Nottingham Forest is one of four games starting at 15:00, with Unai Emery's side able to go within three points of Arsenal with victory over Nuno Espirito Santo's entourage, who sit precariously above the relegation zone after a run of one win in five outings.
Everton remain in limbo as they await the verdict of their appeal against a ten-point penalty. Their winless run in the league has stretched to eight matches and their task of beating Brighton, who smashed ten-player Sheffield United 5-0 last time out, seems a steep one.
Burnley are another team struggling down at the bottom and looking for a victory on the road this weekend. Only two sides have picked up fewer points away from home than the Clarets, though Crystal Palace's tally of 12 from 12 home games will hardly strike fear into Vincent Kompany's troops.
Man Utd will have to find another source of goals to replace the injured Rasmus Hojlund. They face a Fulham outfit without an away clean sheet since September, so expect the Red Devils to further enhance their Champions League qualification credentials with a comfortable win.
The title race takes centre stage on Saturday night with Man City the first protagonists in action when they visit Bournemouth. The treble winners were denied victory by Chelsea last time out but can close the gap on Liverpool to a point by beating the Cherries, who haven't won in the league since December.
Arsenal will have the chance to respond later on when they take on Newcastle. There'll be fire in the bellies of Mikel Arteta's players after the midweek Champions League defeat to Porto and the injury-stricken Magpies may be powerless to prevent a comfortable home success.
Sunday 25 February
Just one Premier League fixture takes place on Sunday, with Wolves hosting Sheffield United at Molineux.
Gary O'Neil's deservedly picked up all three points in last week's trip to Tottenham despite losing in-form forward Matheus Cunha to injury and they should move into the top ten by beating the Blades, who are seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.
Carabao Cup final
The first piece of silverware in the English season will be awarded on Sunday with Liverpool and Chelsea meeting in the Carabao Cup final.
An injury crisis has spread through Jurgen Klopp's squad ahead of the trip to Wembley, offering hope to Blues fans in desperate need of the comfort of a trophy after a difficult campaign to date. Mauricio Pochettino will have to defy his poor personal record against Klopp to claim his first trophy in England, having won just one of their 13 meetings.
Monday 26 February
Gameweek 26 comes to a halt on Monday night in what could be a fun London derby between West Ham and Brentford.
David Moyes has overseen a run of eight games without an Irons victory, with speculation increasing over his future as manager, though they still boast an 11-point lead over the visiting Bees before kick-off.
READ 90MIN'S MATCH PREVIEWS FOR GAMEWEEK 26 OF THE 2023/24 PREMIER LEAGUE AND THE CARABAO CUP FINAL
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Premier League predictions: Gameweek 26.
