There is very little time left now before the season ends and the battle for placing has never been closer. In the top spots, Liverpool and Manchester City are locked in a fight to the end that sees the two teams change places seemingly after every game. For third and fourth place the competition is fierce with four different teams all hoping for one of the prestigious places. Bonusbets.com looks at some of the latest news from the pitches across the country as the sand races through the timer and the season draws to a close.
Injury Blight for City
Over the weekend City was dealt a late blow to their squad when Kevin De Bruyne was struck down just before half-time with a serious hamstring injury. The team went on to win the game against Spurs but for De Bruyne the season looks to be over earlier than he would have hoped. Guardiola had already confirmed that after missing training on Monday he would not be playing the Manchester Derby, but medical tests which revealed a tear in the hamstring seems to confirm that he will not be available for any further matches this season as recovery will be a long process. This will be welcome news to Liverpool as he is one of City's key players and irritating news for the midfielder who has had something of an injury-plagued run and now faces two weeks of complete rest before he will be cleared to return to any form of training.
Also out of the Manchester Derby might be Benjamin Mendy as he too missed the training on Monday night due to a long-term problem after a calf injury. However, it has not been suggested that he will miss either the Leicester or Brighton games that the team have remaining.
United Under Pressure
No one could quite believe the turn around for Manchester United when they sacked Mourinho and replaced him with temporary manager Solskjaer. The team appeared to go from strength to strength under the ex-manager, and they managed to get themselves back into the top four battle, even briefly holding fourth for a while. Such was the progress that the caretaker manager was made permanent and every game ended in a win. No one is quite sure what has happened over the last few matches but the team had gone from shining bright to lacklustre and suffered a humiliating defeat when they met Everton losing 4-0 and that came off the back of a Champions League defeat against Barcelona which they lost 3-0. It seems they are going to let that all-important fourth place slip through their fingers, and the rags to riches fairytale could be over if they cannot get their act together. They are the underdogs in the Manchester Derby and then have to face Chelsea who seem to be playing a stronger game. Their hopes of recovering the points seem to be based in their last two fixtures against Huddersfield and Cardiff City, but at this stage, only time will tell.
