Premier League Week 33 Preview: Title Rests With Sunday’s Match

Sunday will determine whether there is still a Premier League title race. Arsenal can move back nine points ahead of Manchester City should the visiting Gunners find victory at the Etihad. A loss by the Gunners creates a worst-case scenario for Manager Mikel Arteta and his three-time bridesmaids. A slender three-point advantage could be gone in a matter of days should the Citizens continue their charge with a win next Wednesday against relegation bound Burnley. It is thus difficult to overstate the importance of Sunday’s clash.

The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton is thus a lesser focus for all but the citizens of their common city. Rather, the supporters of England’s top two clubs and other fans across the Premier League are laser focused on a contest which will tell whether Arsenal might fall agonizingly short for a fourth consecutive season. It has been six years since Arsenal claimed a trophy of any sort. Despite being bounced from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup by Manchester City and Southampton, respectively, Arsenal is currently in the Champions League semifinal and sits atop the Premier League table.

This could yet be a glorious season which validates the project of Manager Mikel Arteta who this week implored supporters to “enjoy where we are as a club.” There will be little enjoyment among supporters, however, if the club comes up on the short end on Sunday. Arsenal has not won at the Etihad in their last 10 Premier League visits to the Etihad, losing seven times. This weekend’s Merseyside derby is also about more than pride. Liverpool is trying to hold on to its Champions league place where it has a four-point lead over sixth place Chelsea.

Everton, meanwhile, can move to within two points of the Reds with a win in the first Merseyside derby to be played at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Liverpool will be without Hugo Ekitike for the match as the French striker is lost for the season after an Achilles injury forced him to leave Liverpool’s losing effort versus PSG during the week. Chelsea meanwhile will try to end a three-match losing run when the Blues host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

A protest march is scheduled by Chelsea supporters unhappy with the policies of BlueCo ownership, a consortium of Clear Lake Capital and Todd Boehly. An expensively assembled roster is now seeing its young stars yearn for greener pastures amid the club’s declining performance and unpopular managerial changes. Enzo Fernandez returns after being suspended for his ill-chosen words about the club. A lack of veteran leadership and a lack of balance on the roster continues to plague the Chelsea project.

The message is clear! pic.twitter.com/wymqrv21tX

— NotAProjectCFC (@NotAProjectCFC) April 15, 2026

Manchester United is looking to bounce back after the first Premier League loss this season under interim Manager Michael Carrick. New Tottenham Hotspur Manager Roberto De Zerbi will look for his first win when his currently relegation bound squad hosts Brighton on Saturday. The bedraggled Tottenham Hotspur club he now commands has not won a league match in 2026. That first win will not be easy against a Seagulls side which has won five of its last six Premier League matches and is battling for a place in Europe.

Leeds has opportunity to remove itself further from the relegation scrap should the Whites defeat cellar dwelling Wolverhampton on Saturday. Leeds currently enjoys a six-point advantage over Spurs. Nottingham Forest and West Ham are less safe and within three points of Spurs and the drop line as they face crucial matches on Sunday. The Tricky Trees have an enviable opportunity for three points against a bad Burnley team at the City Ground while West Ham face a tougher test at Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are flying high after qualifying for the semifinals of the Conference League during the week and have lost just one of their last five Premier League matches under lame duck Manager Oliver Glasner. West Ham moved out of the relegation zone last weekend with a 4-0 pounding of Wolverhampton. The crowded race for Europa and Conference League positions appears to have shifted into slow motion. Two points and three clubs separate seventh place Brentford from 11th place Bournemouth with both those clubs having drawn four of their last five matches.

Brentford hosts Fulham, just three points below the Bees, while Bournemouth travels to Newcastle for its first match since Manager Andoni Iraola announced he is leaving after this season. There is an interesting trend of manager resignations, or mutual departures this season. Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Crystal Palace’s Glasner are two other high-profile walkaways which come to mind. Sunderland could still challenge for an unlikely European spot and will hope to catch Aston Villa napping when the Black Cats visit Villa Park on Sunday. Villa has a seven-point cushion in its quest for a Champions League berth and has advanced to the Europa League semifinals where it will curiously face Premier League and Midland rival Nottingham Forest.