Premier League and FA Cup final: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Villa can tap into fixture frustration

Aston Villa could not conceal their anger after their game at home to Tottenham was brought forward 48 hours. Villa’s director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, said shifting the game from Sunday to Friday was “clear prejudice” against the club and Villa objected to Spurs’s request for it to be moved to aid their preparations for Wednesday’s Europa League final. Villa were also privately perplexed at Bournemouth’s game with Manchester City being rearranged for Tuesday, after Saturday’s FA Cup final, which is guaranteed to have implications on whether eighth place qualifies for the Europa Conference League. The flipside to all of this is Villa can get on the front foot, kicking off 45 minutes before Chelsea entertain Manchester United and two days before Nottingham Forest head to West Ham and Arsenal host Newcastle. Victory for Villa could hoist them as high as fourth before a final-day trip to Old Trafford and, psychologically, that could prove a knockout blow. Ben Fisher

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• Aston Villa v Tottenham, Premier League, Friday 7.30pm (all times BST)

Maresca turns to teenager George

Nicolas Jackson’s ridiculous red card against Newcastle leaves Enzo Maresca with a problem in attack. Chelsea have lost their main striker to suspension for the rest of the league season and need to adjust when they host Manchester United. Options are thin on the ground. Christopher Nkunku is unwanted and has been unavailable in recent weeks, the inexperienced Marc Guiu is returning from a hamstring injury and Jadon Sancho is ineligible against his parent club. Sancho would not have played up front but having him available would have meant there was an experienced alternative on the flanks should Maresca have repeated a solution from previous times of need and moved Pedro Neto into a central role. As it is Chelsea will probably have to place their trust in the exciting teenager Tyrique George. Jacob Steinberg

• Chelsea v Manchester United, Premier League, Friday 8.15pm

Cup win could turn City’s season around

Pep Guardiola has been a manager humbled this season owing to a troubled Manchester City campaign ruptured by injury and a loss of the pattern and spirit that propelled them to a record fourth consecutive title in 2023-24. To claim the third FA Cup of his generation-defining tenure would be a fillip, then, before the last push to secure Champions League qualification, next month’s Club World Cup and a summer of plotting to ensure next year is no repeat. City’s players were completely deflated when walking through the mixed zone at Wembley after losing last May’s Cup final to Manchester United: one more reason to avoid a repeat against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Jamie Jackson

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• Crystal Palace v Manchester City, FA Cup final, Saturday 4.30pm

Eze eyes up glorious prize for Palace

Eberechi Eze has said he could not be in better form as Crystal Palace return to Wembley to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final, with the England forward having scored five times in his last four games in all competitions. “It has been a weird season for me,” he said. “I am gradually getting some rhythm and playing how I want to be playing, helping the team as much as I can. It is a good time right now.” Everything seems to have clicked for Eze since scoring his first international goal at the end of March against Latvia and he will be relishing the opportunity to lead Palace to a first major trophy. With City and Arsenal thought to be among the clubs interested in signing him this summer, it might be his last chance. Ed Aarons

Time for a Goodison goodbye

At the age of 133 Goodison Park has unexpectedly regained its status as a gamechanging stadium thanks to The Friedkin Group’s decision to make it the permanent home for Everton Women. Tuesday’s timely announcement may soften the emotional hammer blow when it lands on Sunday but in many respects it changes little. This really is it for one of the most storied grounds in English football as Everton’s men prepare to play their 2,791st and final competitive game at L4 4EL. And so to Jack Sharp, William Ralph “Dixie” Dean, Tommy Lawton, TG Jones, Ted Sagar, Joe Mercer, Dave Hickson, Tommy Eglington, Bobby Collins, Brian Labone, Gordon West, Alex Young, Roy Vernon, Jimmy Gabriel, Ray Wilson, Alan Ball, Howard Kendall, Andy King and Kevin Campbell, along with all the ghosts in the Goodison stands whose favourite spot you still look for (Lower Gwladys Street, behind the second exit in from the church), the time has come to say goodbye. Andy Hunter

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• Everton v Southampton, Premier League, Sunday 12pm

Leaky Forest make do without Murillo

Nottingham Forest’s defensive foundations are starting to creak. Their challenge for Champions League qualification has been built on a solid core but they have become leaky of late. They are conceding sloppy goals and are not the same without Murillo, who is out with a hamstring injury. Morato has come in for his fellow Brazilian and needs to step up when Forest visit West Ham. Nikola Milenkovic and Morato were both at fault for Leicester’s equaliser against Forest last weekend. JS

• West Ham v Nottingham Forest, Premier League, Sunday 2.15pm

Brentford’s smooth operator finds range

Kevin Schade’s Brentford career has been a relative slow-burner. His qualities have been evident since joining, originally on loan, from Freiburg in January 2023. There have been 65 Premier League appearances since then but 31 have come as a substitute and he completed 90 minutes only twice in his first two years with the club. An adductor injury last season limited his opportunities, with Schade missing 28 games and returning late in the campaign to make cameos. He has been playing catchup with his fitness and it took until the final day of November for his first league goals to come this season, a hat-trick against Leicester. Finally, Schade seems fully up to speed with four goals in his past three appearances to help Brentford’s push for European qualification. As the futures of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa become the focus of the gossipmongers, Brentford can feel confident they already possess someone who can alleviate the pain caused by any departures. Will Unwin

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• Brentford v Fulham, Premier League, Sunday 3pm

Vardy sendoff to be one for the ages

The saddest of dead rubbers will take place in Leicester on Sunday … or so you might think. This is the battle for 18th. The two teams are level on points, with 22, going into the final two matches of the season. The higher a team finishes, the more prize money they get. Despite the obvious failings of the two sides there will be something of a carnival atmosphere in the East Midlands, as Leicester say goodbye to Jamie Vardy, who is set for his farewell at the King Power Stadium after 13 years. There will be tributes galore for the man who spearheaded their historic Premier League title. Vardy deserves everything he receives, with a pre-match ceremony planned and an insistence supporters wait behind after full time for further celebration of the 38-year-old. It has been a dreadful season for Leicester fans but at least, by waving off their hero, they might be able to leave one final game with a smile. WU

• Leicester v Ipswich, Premier League, Sunday 3pm

The return of Havertz for Arsenal

When Kai Havertz attempted to block a shot during Arsenal’s training camp in Dubai back in February and tore a hamstring, the Germany striker had already scored nine Premier League goals and was on course to surpass his mark of 13 from the previous campaign. Three months on, he remains the club’s top scorer in the league and could return against Newcastle on Sunday after resuming full training this week. With all the talk about Arsenal’s need to sign a new striker in the summer, it is easy to forget that Havertz matched Robin van Persie’s record of scoring in seven games in a row at the Emirates Stadium this season. The 25-year-old should at least get the chance to reach double figures in the Premier League for only the second time in his career if he features this week or on the final day against Southampton. EA

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• Arsenal v Newcastle, Premier League, Sunday 4.30pm

Hürzeler’s high hopes for next step

Do not expect too many arrivals at Brighton this summer if Fabian Hürzeler gets his way. Having been the highest net spenders in Europe when the German was appointed almost 12 months ago, it is fair to say that some of the new signings have struggled to make an impact on the south coast. Brajan Gruda finally scored his first Premier League goal of the season against Wolves last week as Brighton kept alive their hopes of qualifying for Europe, while Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh have also contributed. But Hürzeler has high hopes that Ferdi Kadioglu, Matt O’Riley and Mats Wieffer can also prove their worth in the long run. “They came here with injury, problems with the intensity, maybe problems with the culture. They all also will take the next step,” said the Brighton manager earlier this week. “You need a stable environment where they can grow.” EA

• Brighton v Liverpool, Premier League, Monday 8pm