1) Another post-Europe hangover for Liverpool?

Following the disappointment of their reasonably heroic Champions League defeat at Barcelona, Liverpool must rouse themselves for what could be an extremely tricky Saturday evening appointment at Newcastle in which they simply cannot afford to slip up. With only two matches of the Premier League campaign remaining, anything less than a win for Liverpool would leave the door open for Manchester City to all but wrap up the title on Monday. One suspects this is a far tougher assignment than Jürgen Klopp would like so soon after a gruelling and dispiriting game at the Camp Nou and the portents are not great. Last September, a BBC study on the form of Premier League teams following midweek fixtures in Europe showed that Liverpool had won half a point less per game on on average following European fixtures over the previous five years, the worst record among their top-flight rivals. Last season alone, coming out of European games, they dropped points against Burnley, Stoke, Everton and their opponents on Saturday, Newcastle. BG

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2) Warnock has to go all out in Cardiff’s last chance

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Last chance. Cardiff’s relegation will be confirmed this weekend if they don’t beat Crystal Palace, and even then they could drop in the (admittedly unlikely) event of Brighton winning at Arsenal. With this in mind, you wonder whether Neil Warnock will adopt rather different tactics than he did against Fulham last weekend: there, Cardiff almost seemed happy to play for the draw and only belatedly attacked, when they had already conceded, their onslaught in the later parts of the game coming too late. Will it be too late again if they go for it against Palace? Perhaps, but Warnock doesn’t have a choice: they’re four points behind Brighton and because of an inferior goal difference they have to win both their games and hope Chris Hughton’s side do not collect more than a point from theirs. It could weigh heavily on their minds if they miss out by a point or even goal difference, knowing they had a chance last weekend but didn’t take it. NM

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock reacts during the match against Fulham. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

3) Leicester could catch Manchester City at a low point

It probably only hit Manchester City this week just what an opportunity they blew in the Champions League. As they watched Tottenham flail about against Ajax, Pep Guardiola and his team can only have winced, even wept, at the state of the side who knocked them out. There were reasons and so forth but, really, City’s players wouldn’t be human if they didn’t feel a little more inadequate now. Leicester are a team well equipped to prey on such weakness on Monday (especially if Liverpool rub it in by winning at Newcastle on Saturday). They have already beaten Guardiola’s team once this season and are even stronger now, with Youri Tielemans having added class to their midfield and Jamie Vardy in vibrant form. The striker’s speed and finishing will certainly worry the hosts. PD

4) Brighton’s pricey underperformers need to show themselves

The good news for Brighton is that, by the time they take on Arsenal on Sunday, the torment could be over and they could have booked another season in the Premier League without kicking a ball. The problem is Brighton’s problems seemingly lie much deeper and, regardless of Cardiff’s result against Crystal Palace and what division they are in next season, they face a defining summer. Not only have the goals dried up – their reliance on Glenn Murray, who will be 36 in October, finally laid bare – but Chris Hughton has struggled to improve the team since being promoted two years ago, though not for the want of trying. Of the 19 first-team players they have signed as a Premier League side at an outlay of more than £100m, the number of success stories can be counted on one hand; Mat Ryan, Davy Pröpper, Pascal Gross and José Izquierdo, even if the latter can be erratic. For the rest, there is no better time to make a lasting mark. BF

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5) Will De Gea feature for Manchester United against Huddersfield?

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s second match in charge upon his return to Old Trafford was against Huddersfield, a 3-1 victory in which he described a brilliant second-half save by David de Gea as “the key moment for us”. In more recent games, the Spanish goalkeeper’s uncharacteristic errors have proved to be key moments for United’s opponents and it will be intriguing to see if the Norwegian takes him out of the firing line or risks shattering what remains of the goalkeeper’s confidence by sending him out to throw another one in against the Premier League’s worst side. With only six appearances to his name this season, none of them in the Premier League, De Gea’s accomplished understudy Sergio Romero would have every right to feel seriously aggrieved if he is not given the chance to stand in for his out-of-form colleague. Whatever decision Solskjær makes looks certain to ruffle someone’s feathers. It’s not very easy, this management lark. BG

6) Watford need to tune up for the FA Cup final

Perhaps inevitably, Watford have been just a little bit off since that emotionally exhausting win in the FA Cup semi-final against Wolves. They’ve won one of their four subsequent games, and that was against Huddersfield: a couple of thoughtless moments cost them against Arsenal, they scraped a draw with Southampton and were sloppy in defeat at home to Wolves. Ben Foster said this week they will be battling for seventh place, but they’re now four points off that with two to play – it’s a long shot. In any case, that should not be why this slump is concerning: it’s not just that they are in their first FA Cup final in 35 years, but it is one they do have a chance of winning, against a Manchester City side who will just be emerging from a draining title race. Great as City are, for this reason they could be vulnerable, but only if Watford are at their best, and they need to get closer to that in their remaining league fixtures, starting against Chelsea on Sunday. NM

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Diogo Jota scores his side’s second goal of the game against Watford at Vicarage Road. Photograph: Nigel French/PA

7) Mina to return with something to prove?

When Everton splashed out £28m on Yerry Mina last summer, there were great hopes for the towering Colombia defender. One of three signings from Barcelona, Mina’s stock was dizzyingly high after the World Cup in Russia. Mina was supposed to provide the kind of steel platform Virgil van Dijk has given Liverpool across Merseyside. But instead of enhancing his reputation at Goodison Park, Mina is still living off the past; the overriding image of him remains that thumping header against England almost 12 months ago. The 24-year-old has been troubled by injury all season; he did not start a game for Marco Silva’s side until November because of a foot problem and has not featured since March following a hamstring injury picked up on international duty. Mina could make his latest comeback against Burnley on Friday after returning to full training this week but the signings of the excellent Lucas Digne and André Gomes, the latter on a season-long loan, have unequivocally proved far more successful. BF

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8) Spurs should not take Bournemouth seriously

Mauricio Pochettino should take Bournemouth very lightly. Not because Tottenham thrashed them 5-0 in December but because Saturday’s fixture at the Vitality is one Spurs would be better off overlooking. Far wiser to think ahead to Wednesday’s Champions League second leg at Ajax. Spurs, like Pochettino himself, may never have a better chance to reach the final. If they are to overturn the deficit from the first leg, they need as many players as possible to be fit and fresh. Pochettino, who blamed a lack of energy for the 1-0 defeat in London, should take this opportunity to give his first team a rest. It is true that Spurs have not yet secured a top-four finish but, given the haplessness of their pursuers, sacrificing the game against Bournemouth is probably not even a big risk; certainly not as much of a risk as playing his best team would be. PD

9) Can Parker bring stability to Fulham?

A former player returns to guide a team through a tricky period, taking over from an unpopular predecessor, and has a wildly successful caretaker spell in charge. Rings a bell. At some point Scott Parker will presumably follow in Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s footsteps and be given the permanent job at Fulham, after guiding the relegated Cottagers to three straight wins and, perhaps more remarkably, three straight clean sheets. For context, they’d only kept two clean sheets in the previous 33 games this season. These victories of course mean nothing tangible, but what they might do – particularly if they manage a fourth against Wolves this weekend – is offer some hope of stability for next season in the Championship. Gaining promotion with this bloated squad will be no easy task, but if Parker can establish himself as a steady hand at the tiller, then they will have a much better chance of bouncing straight back. NM

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10) Antonio can lift West Ham from their inconsistency

Which West Ham team will turn up at the London Stadium? A sample of results this calendar year alone – a cocktail of insipid defeats (walloped by Wolves and humbled by Bournemouth, Cardiff and Everton) and promising performances, including against Tottenham in victory last time out – are indicative of a side that are painfully unpredictable. Despite their inconsistencies, Manuel Pellegrini’s team can still finish as high as eighth and a resurgent Michail Antonio will likely again be key against Southampton, for whom he played on loan 10 years ago. Antonio’s versatility has arguably hampered him but he has scored two goals in as many games since returning to the starting lineup and, against another side already planning for next season, the powerful forward can build on his form. “I think all of us must demand more from ourselves for this club,” Pellegrini said. “It’s not been a bad season but next season I hope we can improve.” BF