Week 38 Game Thread

[DJnVa]

Schedule: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/fixtures/38/
 
I know NBC is broadcasting all the games somewhere.
 
What's at stake:
 
Title: Chelsea
 
Champions League: Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, ManU are locked into the top 4
 
Europa: Liverpool (62), Tottenham (61), Southampton (60) are all alive.
 
Liverpool travels to Stoke knowing that only a win guarantees a top 6 finish. A draw coupled with a Spurs and Southampton win pushes both clubs past them. Southampton though, has to contend with Man City. Tottenham finishes on the road against Everton.
 
If Arsenal wins the FA Cup, I believe all 3 teams will qualify for Europa League.
 
Relegation: QPR and Burnley are going down. One of Hull (34), Newcastle (36), and Sunderland (37) will join them. Hull hosts ManU, Newcastle hosts West Ham, and Sunderland travels to Chelsea.
 
Promotion from the Sky Bet Championship: Bournemouth, Watford, and either Norwich City or Middlesbrough.
 
Bournemouth is a very cool story. This will be their first ever Premier League promotion. Bournemouth was playing in League 2 as recently as 2011.
 
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32315677

 

[DJnVa]

EDIT: Added to opening post.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Promotion from the Sky Bet Championship: Bournemouth, Watford, and either Ipswich Town or Middlesbrough.

 
Just to nitpick, that should read "either Norwich City or Middlesbrough". (Which should be a very entertaining Playoff Final, actually.)

 

[DJnVa]

 
Just to nitpick, that should read "either Norwich City or Middlesbrough". (Which should be a very entertaining Playoff Final, actually.)

 
 
Oops. That's more than an nitpick.
 

 

[Turrable]

Will any American network carry the championship playoff? Sounds more entertaining than the premier league games to be honest

 

[sachmoney]

Will any American network carry the championship playoff? Sounds more entertaining than the premier league games to be honest

It's on beIN

 

[DLew On Roids]

The 5/6/7 race in the EPL also has Europa League scheduling ramifications.  England gets two spots in the group stages of the Europa League, but its last automatic spot goes into the third qualifying round, the winners of which have to win a playoff against either another third-round winner or a Champions League qualifying round loser. 
 
So if Arsenal wins the FA Cup, the seventh-placed team would have to play four matches just to get to the EL group stage.  If Villa wins the Cup, they go straight into the group stages, knocking out the seventh-place team and pushing the sixth-place team into the third qualifying round.
 
Bottom line: if you want to guarantee a EL group stage place next season, you have to finish fifth.

 

[Phil Plantier]

So they scrapped the rule where the cup runner up gets the Europa League spot if the winner qualifies for the CL/EL?

 

[swiftaw]

So they scrapped the rule where the cup runner up gets the Europa League spot if the winner qualifies for the CL/EL?

Yes

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

 
Just to nitpick, that should read "either Norwich City or Middlesbrough". (Which should be a very entertaining Playoff Final, actually.)

What time is the match? I might be flying home from Aruba that day, but sometimes the airline Tv stations pick up the matches.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Norwich-Boro is at 3 p.m. UK time on Monday. (It's a Bank Holiday in England, in case you're wondering.)

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Sunderland's point against Arsenal today means they are safe.  It's either Hull or Newcastle that will go down.
 
I wonder if Seven is hoping the Geordies get relegated so he will have a team in each of the top 2 divisions to root for guilt free.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Y'know, it wouldn't utterly shock me if Arsenal loses 1-0 to West Brom (just like they did to Swansea), Man Utd defeats Hull 6-0 (jumping out to an early lead and watching Hull wilt once they have nothing to play for), and Arsenal finishes fourth after all in the most Arsenal-esque manner possible.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Men in Blazers were all over the relegation battle in their Sub-Optimal Breakaway segment.
 

 

[sachmoney]

Y'know, it wouldn't utterly shock me if Arsenal loses 1-0 to West Brom (just like they did to Swansea), Man Utd defeats Hull 6-0 (jumping out to an early lead and watching Hull wilt once they have nothing to play for), and Arsenal finishes fourth after all in the most Arsenal-esque manner possible.

Jesus.

 

[DJnVa]

Holy crap Liverpool.

 

[DLew On Roids]

Ha. What a clown show.

 

[sachmoney]

To Stoke.
https://twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/602484998642475008

 

[DJnVa]

Liverpool and the Sox--neither can score.

 

[Carbo Loading]

Do they fire him at half time?

 

[DJnVa]

Holy shit--5?

 

[DLew On Roids]

No way this match ends with 22 on the pitch.

 

[fletcherpost]

If results go Liverpool's way can they avoid the Europa? I thought it would be tough to avoid Europa af ew weeks ago, but the team have really got it together and now I'm struggling with the permutations...Villa will go into the Europa as beaten FA Cup Finalists....what then? It's tense.

 

[DJnVa]

If results go Liverpool's way can they avoid the Europa? I thought it would be tough to avoid Europa af ew weeks ago, but the team have really got it together and now I'm struggling with the permutations...Villa will go into the Europa as beaten FA Cup Finalists....what then? It's tense.

 
Southampton needs to win to pass them, that could knock them to 7th.
 
Villa doesn't get in unless they win FA Cup
 
If Arsenal win the FA Cup...
Fifth and sixth spot in the Premier League will qualify for the group stage, seventh place will enter in the third qualifying round .
If Aston Villa win the FA Cup...
Fifth will enter the group stage along with Aston Villa. Sixth place will enter in the third qualifying round with seventh denied a European spot.

 

 

[DLew On Roids]

Also more cards, because they're atop the Fair Play table.

 

[DLew On Roids]

And Villa need to win the Cup.

 

[fletcherpost]

 
Southampton needs to win to pass them, that could knock them to 7th.

 
Not looking likely. Does 6th get you into Europa? If so Liverpool really didn't work this out in time. I think they're doing a cracking job today but it's too little too late. All this Sterling stuff has taking the team away from their priorities. That's on the manager. If they really worked at it they could have avoided all European football for next season and at least the fans would have something to cheer. Very disapointed.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

I think Liverpool tops the Fair Play table, so we need a few red cards, too.

 

[DLew On Roids]

Sixth puts them into the Europa League. If Villa win the Cup, Liverpool goes into the third qualifying round. If Arsenal win, they go into the group stage.

...And if they drop to seventh and qualify via Fair Play, they start in the first qualifying round on July 2.

 

[fletcherpost]

And Villa need to win the Cup.

 
I feel stupid. I thought losing finalists got the place if the winners already had a Champon's League spot - didn't that used to be the case or am having severe memory displacement?
 
And what's with this fair play stuff? Terrible oversite...I knew we should have went for a Joey Barton loan at Christmas. He'd have been good for two reds and five yellows easy.

 

[DJnVa]

5th and 6th definitely get in. If Villa loses FA Cup, 7th gets in as well.

 

[DLew On Roids]

 
I feel stupid. I thought losing finalists got the place if the winners already had a Champon's League spot - didn't that used to be the case or am having severe memory displacement?
 

You're right that it used to be the case.

The Fair Play stuff is unexpected. Those spots usually go to Nordic countries.

 

[Joe D Reid]

They keep showing Andy Carroll in the stands watching the Newcastle-West Ham match. Feels like he is watching while perched upon a bust of Pallas just outside our chamber door.

 

[swiftaw]

 
I feel stupid. I thought losing finalists got the place if the winners already had a Champon's League spot - didn't that used to be the case or am having severe memory displacement?
 
And what's with this fair play stuff? Terrible oversite...I knew we should have went for a Joey Barton loan at Christmas. He'd have been good for two reds and five yellows easy.

Yes, up until this year if the winner of the FA Cup had already qualified for Europe then the runner-up got the spot. 
 
UEFA keeps track of 'fair play' in the leagues across Europe.  Leagues who finish in the top 3 get an extra Europa spot. England got one this year, so the highest team in the Premiership 'Fair Play' table who haven't already qualified for Europe gets the spot. 

 

[fletcherpost]

You're right that it used to be the case.

The Fair Play stuff is unexpected. Those spots usually go to Nordic countries.

 
Fuckin daylight hating bastards.

 

[Seven Costanza]

Moussa Sissoko, of all people. 

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Newcastle just somehow did not score on a 3-on-nobody break.

 

[Seven Costanza]

No better man to score that than Jonas.  

 

[SoxFanInCali]

The only Stoke fan in the bar bought a round for the house.

 

[DLew On Roids]

It looks like Preston are going up to the Championship. They lead Swindon 3-0 early in the second half in the League One final thanks in part to two goals from ex-PLer Jermaine Beckford. His goals got Leeds back in the Championship a few years ago before he moved to Everton.

Preston is previously 0-9 in attempts at promotion via the playoffs and someone on TV called this La Decima. Ouch--except for the score.