Premier League Top Five Race: Standings and Final Two Games After Matchweek 36

There's just two more matchdays for every Premier League team as the race for Champions League qualification heats up.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United are among the teams fighting for Champions League qualification / Getty Images/Visionhaus

The Premier League season is winding down, but the race for Champions League qualification continues to heat up with each passing matchday.

Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur and clinched the Premier League title back on Apr. 27. With the three relegation sides locked in as well, full focus is on the race for the European spots. Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are battling it out with just six points separating the Gunners in second and Forest in seventh.

There are five Champions League qualification spots for England, thanks to Arsenal, since they eliminated Real Madrid in the quarterfinals this season.

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Premier League Standings

Place	Team	Points	Games Played	Goal Difference
1.	Liverpool	83	36	+46
2.	Arsenal	68	36	+33
3.	Newcastle United	66	36	+23
4.	Manchester City	65	36	+24
5.	Chelsea	63	36	+19
6.	Aston Villa	63	36	+7
7.	Nottingham Forest	62	36	+12

Take a look at the final two fixtures for each Premier League team in the Champions League hunt after Matchweek 36.

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Arsenal's Final Two Premier League Fixtures

Date and Kick-Off Time	Opponent
Sun, May 18: 11:30 a.m. ET/4:30 p.m. GMT	Newcastle United (H)
Sun, May 25: 11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT	Southampton (A)

Arsenal earned a point at Anfield, but they aren't out of the woods yet. They need a strong performance against Newcastle United next week on the road to securing Champions League qualification.

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Newcastle United's Final Two Premier League Fixtures

Date and Kick-Off Time	Opponent
Sun, May 18: 11:30 a.m. ET/4:30 p.m. GMT	Arsenal (A)
Sun, May 25: 11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT	Everton (H)

Newcastle United are 6-1-1 in April with their only blemishes coming in a loss and draw against Aston Villa and Brighton respectively. Their win over 10-men Chelsea puts a three point gap between the two sides in third and fifth. They also have a four goal lead on differential on the Blues.

Just Arsenal and Everton remain for the Magpies and they'll favor themselves against both sides in the run-in.

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Manchester City's Final Two Premier League Fixtures

Date and Kick-Off Time	Opponent
Tues, May 20: 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT	Bournemouth (H)
Sun, May 25: 11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT	Fulham (A)

Man City hit a major stumbling block on Saturday drawing to relegated Southampton. They trail Newcastle by a point, but have a two point lead over Chelsea. They control their destiny and will qualify if they win their final two games against the Cherries and Cottagers.

But, before they face Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth, they have a chance to win silverware in the FA Cup final on May 17 against Crystal Palace. Lifting a trophy in what's been a disastrous season by Pep Guardiola's standards could be the extra boost to get over the line and finish as high as second.

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Chelsea's Final Two Premier League Fixtures

Date and Kick-Off Time	Opponent
Fri, May 16: 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT	Manchester United (H)
Sun, May 25: 11 p.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT	Nottingham Forest (A)

Chelsea will be without Nicolas Jackson for the rest of the season after receiving a red card against Newcastle. They have two difficult games to close out the season against Manchester United and Forest. The Red Devils might be closer to the relegation zone than Champions League places, but they have the momentum qualifying for the Europa League final.

The game against Forest on May 25 could be a decider for the fifth and final spot.

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Aston Villa's Final Two Premier League Fixtures

Date and Kick-Off Time	Opponent
Sun, May 18: 9:15 a.m. ET/2:15 p.m. GMT	Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Sun, May 25: 11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT	Manchester United (H)

Aston Villa emerged victorious against Bournemouth despite closing the game out with 10 men. After a strong performance in UEFA's top competition this season, Unai Emery is eager to get his team back in for next season. Their poor goal differential means they'll likely have to qualify on points alone.

They close out the season against both Europa League finalists hoping for teams above them to slip up.

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Nottingham Forest's Final Two Premier League Fixtures

Date and Kick-Off Time	Opponent
Sun, May 18: 9:15 a.m. ET/2:15 p.m. GMT	West Ham United (A)
Sun, May 25: 11 a.m. ET/4 p.m. GMT	Chelsea (H)

Forest cannot afford any more slipups after drawing against Leicester City. They face West Ham United next week, but their game against Chelsea could decide whether or not they're playing in the Europa League or Champions League next season.

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