PRIDE OF LIVERPOOL Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has ended months of speculation about his future by signing a two-year contract extension at Anfield, the Premier League leaders said on Friday. | AFP
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Last weekend, Chelsea and Arsenal were among the English Premier League teams that rested some of their stars for league matches so that they could be fresh for European action.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta started the likes of Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and captain Martin Odegaard on the bench in their tame 1-all draw with Everton.
The move seems to have paid off, with the Gunners firing three past Spanish giants Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
They are in a strong position to advance.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca rested key players Nicolas Jackson, Marc Cucurella, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer at the start of the stalemate with Brentford.
Again, it was a move that was vindicated by the 3-0 scoreline in the Europa Conference League quarter-final against Legia Warsaw in Poland.
The championship race is all but decided. Liverpool have one hand on the trophy.
This weekend could see the second-placed Gunners again rest their stars for their big night at the Bernabeu next week.
Chelsea could follow suit. They are far from guaranteed Champions League football next season via a top-five finish despite sitting in fourth at the moment.
Winning the Conference League will at least guarantee them a return to continental competition, in the Europa League.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are still alive in the second-tier competition.
United drew 2-2 with Lyon, while Spurs drew 1-1 with Frankfurt in Thursday night’s quarter-final action. They face a struggle to overturn those results, however.
A place in the Champions League is a massive carrot. The competition also represents the last opportunity to salvage something from a dismal campaign for both sides.
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is set for a major squad rebuild at the end of the season. A trophy would boost belief in the manager and in his much-vaunted system.
Ange Postecoglu could also do with a boost to an injury-plagued season when some Spurs fans have turned against him.
Maresca would also surely love to crown his maiden season at Chelsea with silverware.
In fact, there is still plenty to play for in the Premier League and in European competition for a number of English teams.
Aston Villa are still in the Champions League. But it is advantage PSG in their quarter-final tie. Villa trail 3-1 after the first leg of their quarter-final in Paris.
Should the Villains fail to advance, they are still handily placed for a return next season via their league finish.
The race for the five Champions League places is as tight as ever, however. Even Bournemouth, in eighth place, have a chance.
There are seven matches in the league to go for most EPL teams.
Nottingham Forest, in third, have a route into the Europa League via the FA Cup, should they drop out of the top five.
Saturday’s match against Everton promises to be a tricky one for Nun Espirito Santo’s troops.
The cup competition also represents a potential Europa League ticket for fellow semi-finalists Crystal Palace. Aston Villa and Manchester City are also still in the competition, though they are expected to finish in a position to qualify for Europe through the league.
League Cup winners Newcastle United have already booked a Uefa spot in the Europa League. But they will be eyeing the chance to continue to cement a place at the top table.
They are holding on to fifth place, with a game in hand. Sunday’s match against Manchester United will be key to their ambitions. With so much riding on their return leg against Lyon, Amorim is likely to rest some of his key Red Devils players. That could make Eddie Howe’s job a bit easier.
The season has been difficult to predict, though. There are likely to be many more twists and turns before the conclusion.
Weekend EPL fixtures
Saturday: Manchester City v Crystal Palace (1.30pm); Brighton v Leicester (4pm); Nottingham Forest v Everton (4pm); Southampton v Aston Villa (4pm); Arsenal v Brentford (6.30pm).
Sunday: Chelsea v Ipswich Town (3pm); Liverpool v West Ham (3pm); Wolves v Tottenham (3pm); Newcastle v Manchester United (5.30pm)
Monday: Bournemouth v Fulham (9pm)