Premier League Final Day: Key Lineups and Selection Dilemmas
On the Premier League’s final day, the calculators come out, the farewells begin and managers start juggling sentiment with hard-edge selection calls. Ben Bloom has sketched out how each club might line up – and the picture is anything but straightforward.
Brighton v Man Utd: Europe on the line, auditions everywhere
Brighton still have something tangible to chase. A European spot sharpens the mind, and Diego Gomez’s sharp cameo last weekend has thrust the Paraguayan into contention to start. If he does, Ferdi Kadioglu is likely to be shunted back into defence, with one of Joel Veltman or Maxim De Cuyper making way unless Mats Wieffer’s ankle has healed enough for him to return.
James Milner remains on the outside looking in. The Pascal Gross–Carlos Baleba partnership has held firm in the middle, and there’s no obvious reason to disrupt it with so much at stake.
For Man Utd, the mood is different. Michael Carrick has spoken of “respecting this last game” but also flagged chances for his youngsters. That points towards minutes for Tyler Fletcher and Shea Lacey, and possibly Ayden Heaven at the back. In midfield, Manuel Ugarte or Mason Mount are the natural picks to step in for the departing Casemiro, who will not feature.
Benjamin Sesko’s absence from the last two games leaves him a major doubt again. Amad may also find his place under threat, with Patrick Dorgu or Mount ready to step into the XI.
Burnley v Wolves: A scrap to avoid rock bottom
This is what the bottom looks like: two sides desperate simply to see the back of the season, locked in a fight to avoid finishing last.
Mike Jackson has already hinted he will “give people some minutes” and “manipulate the squad a little bit”, which makes Burnley a nightmare to predict. The team that pushed Arsenal hard could, on form, go again unchanged, but the manager’s words point towards rotation. Bashir Humphreys, Josh Laurent, Zeki Amdouni, Marcus Edwards, Quilindschy Hartman and Jacob Bruun Larsen are all queuing up for a start.
Wolves, chasing the dizzy height of 19th, might be more settled. Rob Edwards switched to a back four in the draw with Fulham and liked what he saw. The same personnel can morph between 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-2-1, so there’s little incentive to rip it up. If he does tweak, Rodrigo Gomes’ spot on the right looks the most vulnerable, with Jackson Tchatchoua or Pedro Lima pushing. Hugo Bueno is another candidate to return at left-back.
Crystal Palace v Arsenal: One eye on Europe, one on Wembley-sized occasions
Crystal Palace are caught between the here and now and a European final. With Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League showpiece looming, Oliver Glasner has admitted he changes his mind several times a day – from full rotation, to none, to something in between.
Chris Richards is definitely out with ankle ligament damage and is in serious danger of missing Wednesday as well. That should lock the defensive line in place unless Jefferson Lerma is pulled back into the rear-guard. Higher up the pitch, everything is up for debate. Glasner will be wary of risking any key attacker with such a defining night just days away.
Arsenal, already crowned Premier League champions, are juggling a different final. They want to honour squad players and hit the UEFA Champions League showpiece at full tilt. That means changes.
William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and David Raya all trained individually on Thursday and are prime candidates for a rest. In their place, youngsters Marli Salmon and Max Dowman are in the frame for starts, with several squad figures hoping for rare first whistles in a low-pressure league outing.
Fulham v Newcastle: Searching for a spark, protecting a rhythm
Fulham’s last outing at Wolves underwhelmed, and Marco Silva may not let that slide. Ryan Sessegnon is back in training but looks an unlikely starter even if he makes the squad. The bigger question lies in attack. Harry Wilson dropped to the bench last time and could be restored, with Josh King, Samuel Chukwueze and Kevin all pushing for involvement as Silva tries to inject urgency.
Newcastle, by contrast, have a front four that clicked against West Ham and will not want to disturb it. The real decision for Eddie Howe lies at the back. Kieran Trippier started last weekend, so Howe must weigh up sticking with that same back four or shifting Lewis Hall across to right-back and bringing Dan Burn in on the opposite flank.
Sandro Tonali is “potentially” available after a hamstring tweak, with Howe downplaying the severity. If he doesn’t make it, Joe Willock or Jacob Ramsey are ready to step in. Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga offer attacking alternatives, while Anthony Gordon’s absence from the last five games hangs over the squad with a possible departure on the horizon.
Liverpool v Brentford: Farewells, doubts and a European chase
At Anfield, the storylines write themselves. Arne Slot has refused to confirm whether Mohamed Salah will be given a final appearance, and that single decision could reshape Liverpool’s attack.
Alisson Becker and Alexander Isak are back in training but remain doubtful, and Jeremie Frimpong is also in the grey area. Andrew Robertson, expected to leave this summer, could be handed one last start at left-back. On the opposite side, Curtis Jones or Joe Gomez are the leading candidates to cover right-back.
If Salah starts, Rio Ngumoha may have to settle for a different role. If he doesn’t, the youngster could be trusted for a third straight start to close the campaign.
Brentford arrive with European qualification still on the table, which leaves Keith Andrews in no mood for experiments. He will field his strongest available XI. Kristoffer Ajer has started the last two ahead of Sepp van den Berg, and that duel continues into the final day.
Kevin Schade was rested last weekend after a barren run, with Vitaly Janelt back in from injury. An unchanged side feels the likeliest outcome, but Schade is pushing to return and Jordan Henderson is waiting for his chance if Andrews seeks fresh legs.
Man City v Aston Villa: Guardiola’s last roll of the dice
All eyes are on the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s final match in charge of Man City promises changes, emotion and a few farewell handshakes in the starting XI.
John Stones and Bernardo Silva are both strong candidates to start in what are expected to be their last games for the club. Phil Foden, Savinho and Rayan Cherki will all be desperate to be involved in a side that will be scrutinised from first whistle to last.
Then there is Erling Haaland. Omar Marmoush has a real chance of coming in if Guardiola opts for a different focal point, but the temptation to send out his star striker one last time in a City shirt may prove irresistible. Predicting that XI is a dangerous game.
Aston Villa, fresh from winning the UEFA Europa League, face a different challenge: refocusing. Unai Emery has promised to “try to be serious” with his selection but admitted it is “not easy” to reset so quickly.
Emiliano Martinez is unlikely to play after breaking a finger before kick-off in the Europa League final. Beyond that, Emery is expected to hand opportunities to several squad players, rewarding those who watched the European triumph from the fringes.
Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth: Safety vs a staggering unbeaten run
With Premier League safety secured, Nottingham Forest can finally breathe. Vitor Pereira has admitted his side can “relax a bit” and will not gamble on half-fit players. Murillo and Ola Aina stay out, but Dan Ndoye could feature at some stage.
Ibrahim Sangare returned from the bench last time and is in line to start, while Jair Cunha could be drafted into defence. Up front, Taiwo Awoniyi may be restored to the XI, potentially at the expense of Igor Jesus or Chris Wood.
Bournemouth, unbeaten in 17 and fresh from a superb draw with Man City, have little reason to tinker. Ryan Christie remains suspended, and while Justin Kluivert and Lewis Cook came off the bench on Tuesday, promoting them straight into the starting line-up would be a bold leap. Stability has served the Cherries well; they are unlikely to abandon it now.
Sunderland v Chelsea: Momentum against returning stars
Sunderland’s win over Everton has given Regis Le Bris every reason to keep changes to a minimum. One cloud lingers: Omar Aldarete, who went off injured in that victory, faces a “late decision”. If he fails to make it, Luke O’Nien is poised to step in.
Chemsdine Talbi is ruled out after picking up an injury off the bench last weekend, and Habib Diarra and Chris Rigg look set to remain among the substitutes, watching a largely unchanged side try to finish strongly.
Chelsea, by contrast, have reinforcements. Calum McFarlane has confirmed that Levi Colwill, Joao Pedro and Reece James have all been back in training since the win over Spurs. All three could start if the medical team give the green light.
James is the key domino. He can operate in defence or midfield, and that decision will shape the roles of Malo Gusto and Andrey Santos. Trevoh Chalobah is another name to watch, with a real chance of replacing Wesley Fofana and triggering a reshuffle at centre-back.
Spurs v Everton: Solanke, Maddison and the final gamble
Roberto De Zerbi kept faith with the same XI last time out. Now he has options. Dominic Solanke is available again, and James Maddison has been steadily building his minutes to the point where a start is firmly on the table. Djed Spence, jaw injury or not, is also fit.
The questions are sharp ones. How long can Solanke and Maddison realistically last? And does De Zerbi decide to shake things up by taking Randal Kolo Muani out of the firing line, perhaps turning to Spence, Lucas Bergvall or another option to change the team’s balance?
Everton, under David Moyes, arrive off the back of a defeat to Sunderland, but the manager had stuck with an unchanged XI and may do so again. Idrissa Gueye, who had not trained with the group by Friday, has been given a “50/50 chance” of involvement.
Moyes could easily roll with the same starters, particularly after Merlin Rohl scored their only goal last weekend. If he does tweak, Dwight McNeil, Tyrique George or Thierno Barry are the most likely to be drafted in.
West Ham v Leeds: Must-win tension and patched-up visitors
Nuno Espirito Santo tried a back three against Newcastle. Within half an hour, he tore it up and returned to a four-man defence. That decision is expected to stick for this must-win clash with Leeds.
The choices now are more refined. At right-back, it looks like a straight fight between Kyle Walker-Peters and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Further forward, the question is whether Pablo or Callum Wilson gets the nod to support Valentin Castellanos in attack.
Leeds limp towards the finish line but refuse to buckle. They beat Brighton despite a lengthy injury list, and that list has grown. Ilia Gruev, Noah Okafor and Gabriel Gudmundsson remain out, and they have now been joined by Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff.
There is at least some good news. Pascal Struijk and Jayden Bogle are back in training, though their readiness is unclear. Brenden Aaronson should be fine after a dead leg last time out, and the final attacking slot appears to be a straight call between him and Wilfried Gnonto.
The season ends here, but for many of these players and managers, the real decisions – about futures, contracts, and next steps – are only just beginning.
