The relegation battle in the Championship has gone right down to the wire with Stoke and Derby still in the red zone for what looks to be one more relegation spot with Cardiff now unable to escape and Plymouth needing a goal difference swing of 22 goals even if they were to win their final game of the season against Leeds at home to stay up. 

A draw could end up being enough for both of these sides to secure their status in the Championship next season but neither manager is likely to take that risk with the surprises that the Championship can throw up. Stoke have scored in three of their last five games with the exceptions coming against Sheffield United and Leeds which is to be expected with the gap in quality between the sides. Stoke have made a habit of scoring against their relegation rivals in recent weeks, winning against Cardiff and scoring against Luton and Preston in the last few gameweeks. 

Stoke scored twice in the initial meeting between the sides back in November which was enough to claim a 2-1 victory. So much has changed since then but Stoke can continue their trend of finding the back of their net against the teams around them in the table, a trait which could prove invaluable in cementing their position in the Championship for another season.

Cesc Fabregas has done an excellent job in his first season as Como manager, guiding the club to what looks to be a mid-table finish after they were projected to be in a relegation battle at the beginning of the season. Parma haven’t quite managed to pull away from the drop zone, they have a seven point gap to Venezia but crucially still have to play Napoli and Atalanta before the season is out so they could find themselves dragged back into that battle which makes their games against Empoli and Como crucial. 

Parma have scored in three of their last five games in Serie A, remaining undefeated across these five fixtures which is the form which has opened up a small gap to the drop zone. They take on a Como side that are in just as impressive form with four wins from their last five outings. Parma have scored 25 goals across their 17 home games this season (1.47 per game) and scored against Como in the initial meeting between the sides back in October. Como’s backline is slightly more vulnerable on the road, they’ve conceded 25 goals across their 17 away games this season, only managing to win four of these games.

Osasuna enter this game in brilliant form, undefeated across their last five games in LaLiga having found the back of the net in four of these games - the exception coming away from home against Athletic Club who boast the best defensive home record in LaLiga this season. 

Villarreal have kept two clean sheets across their last five games in the Spanish top flight and will be looking to maintain their current Champions League position while Osasuna could look to crash the race for the Europa League with Vicente Moreno’s side just two points behind Celta Vigo in seventh. 

Osasuna scored twice in the initial meeting between these sides back in November which ended in a 2-2 draw. Both sides should be spurred on by the motivation to qualify for Europe with Osasuna entering this game with enough momentum to breach the Villarreal backline at least once here - Villarreal have conceded 23 goals across their 16 home games this season so they are far from secure at the back on familiar territory.

Bournemouth have scored in nine of their last 10 games across all competitions with the exception coming against Crystal Palace who had to withstand 15 Bournemouth attempts, four of which found the target culminating in an xG of 0.72. 

Context is key here, Arsenal are 1-0 down in their semi final tie against PSG in the Champions League and will certainly look to prioritise that game to save their season from ending rather tamely. The Gunners putting the Champions League first has been a common theme in recent weeks, they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in their last three home games against Everton, Brentford and Crystal Palace - each of these fixtures took place before a midweek Champions League tie. 

Bournemouth are still within an outside chance of qualifying for Europe if they can end the season strongly and will be encouraged by their win over Arsenal earlier in the season in which they managed to breach the Arsenal backline on two occasions.