Jack Wright's Weekend 10/3 Treble

At the time of writing Chelsea are yet to play their midweek fixture against Brighton. But it now appears to be a case that the Blues need to better Newcastle’s points haul over the last two fixtures of the season to gate crash the European qualification places.

Things appear to have eventually come good for Mauricio Pochettino and his team with only the top three picking up more Premier League points in 2024. Stamford Bridge has become something of a fortress with nine wins coming from their last 11 league games on home soil. It has certainly clicked in the final third with 32 goals scored across those fixtures including 17 in the last four games. While at the other end Djordje Petrovic hasn’t conceded a goal in the last three appearances at the Bridge.

After a terrible start Andoni Iraola turned things around at Bournemouth, so much so he this week penned a 12-month contract extension to stay at the club until at least the end of the 2025-26 season. Successive defeats have taken a little shine off what was looking a strong end to their campaign and with the Cherries looking towards the summer this is a perfect opportunity for Chelsea to sign out in style with a final day home win.

Crystal Palace were well on my radar anyway given their excellent form over recent weeks but Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday rubber stamped their inclusion here. The reason being that the Spurs defeat confirmed Aston Villa’s qualification for next season’s Champions League. Captain John McGinn admitting after his side’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Monday night that “the boys are out on their feet giving absolutely everything” and that “Some of us are half men out there."

Oliver Glasner has made a massive impact at Selhurst Park in just 12 games since his arrival so much so there was reported interest from Bayern Munich. Last weekend saw a 3-1 win at Wolves which was a fifth win in an undefeated run of six games. Only the top two have won more games and picked up more points since the Austrian took charge of the Eagles in February and he won’t want the campaign to end on a low note here.

Three weeks ago, Inter Milan secured the Serie A title by defeating their city rivals and closest competitors this season. I use the word closest loosely as with just two games remaining there is a yawning gap of 18 points between the top two. The Nerazzurri will want to sign off their home campaign in style however ahead of the trophy presentations. They host a Lazio side they have already beaten twice this season.

A 2-0 win in the reverse was followed by an impressive 3-0 win in the Supercoppa Italiana which was held in Saudi Arabia. Simone Inzaghi’s men have won 14 of their 18 home league games this term losing just once and having never been kept off the scoresheet. At the other end they have kept 11 clean sheets and 21 in total across all venues. Lazio secured their place in European competition next season with a 2-0 win over relegation threatened Empoli last weekend.