EPL Matchweek 36 lands this weekend with the Premier League title race all but settled, the Champions League scrap reaching boiling point and the relegation fight still very much alive. Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal head to West Ham on Sunday and Manchester City welcome Brentford to the Etihad — three storylines that will shape the final fortnight of the 2025/26 season.
Source: Premier League official website (premierleague.com)
EPL Matchweek 36: Saturday lunchtime sets the tone at Anfield
Few Saturdays this season have carried the weight of 9 May 2026. Six of the nine kick-offs land on Saturday, headlined by Liverpool’s 12:30 BST clash with a Chelsea side in freefall. Arne Slot’s Reds are unbeaten in 17 Premier League games at Anfield in May since 2015 (won 11, drawn six), and they have not lost to Chelsea on home soil in the league since March 2021 — won two, drawn two in the four meetings since.
The Blues, by contrast, arrive on Merseyside under interim head coach Calum McFarlane, having lost six Premier League games in a row and conceded in 13 straight league outings. Joao Pedro, the Brazilian who has carried so much of Chelsea’s attacking burden with 15 league goals this term, is the obvious threat. Liverpool will lean on Dominik Szoboszlai, the first Reds midfielder since Steven Gerrard in 2013/14 to register 10+ goals and 10+ assists in a single campaign.
Source: Liverpool FC official website (liverpoolfc.com)
Sunderland v Manchester United, Man City v Brentford and the chasing pack
Newly promoted Sunderland host Michael Carrick’s Manchester United at the Stadium of Light at 15:00 BST, the Red Devils’ first 3 pm Saturday kick-off of 2026. Carrick’s men sit third and treat this as a near must-win after last weekend’s 3-2 home triumph over Liverpool. Sunderland, 12th and still unbeaten at home in 2026, have already exceeded every reasonable expectation for a promoted side and would love nothing more than to derail United’s Champions League charge.
The Etihad hosts Manchester City v Brentford at 17:30 BST, with Erling Haaland — fit again and on a long-term deal until 2034 — expected to lead the line against Keith Andrews’s Bees. City, with a game in hand, can move into the top four with a win. Elsewhere on Saturday, Brighton host Wolves, Burnley welcome Aston Villa, Crystal Palace face Everton and Fulham take on Bournemouth — fixtures laced with relegation tension at one end and Europa Conference League ambition at the other.
Sunday and Monday: Arsenal travel to West Ham, Spurs face Leeds
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal touch down in Stratford on Sunday at 16:30 BST having booked their first Champions League final in 20 years. Bukayo Saka, scorer of the only goal against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, is in the form of his European life — nine goals in this season’s Champions League, only Thierry Henry has bettered that for the Gunners. Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham, 17th and fighting for top-flight survival, will fancy their chances of repeating the upset that did for Arsenal at the London Stadium last season.
Source: Arsenal FC official website (arsenal.com)
Earlier on Sunday, Nottingham Forest welcome Newcastle (14:00 BST) in a fixture loaded with European qualification consequence — the Magpies, fresh from ending their five-match slump against Brighton, can leapfrog Aston Villa with three points. The matchweek closes on Monday night when Spurs entertain Leeds at 20:00 BST, with Ange Postecoglou’s successor at Spurs scrapping for an Europa Conference spot and Leeds, freshly promoted, still doing the maths on safety.
EPL Matchweek 36 storylines we are watching
Three sub-plots will define the weekend. Top four: Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City are all separated by a handful of points and any slip from the chasing pack opens the door for the next club below. Relegation: Sunderland are safe but Leicester, Wolves and Burnley remain in real danger. Champions League hangover: Arsenal must travel to a hostile London Stadium just five days after a draining semi-final, and Arteta will need to balance the pursuit of Premier League points with the bigger prize awaiting in Budapest on 30 May.
For more EPL coverage and the wider Sports section, dip into our recent EPL Weekend Recap from Matchweek 35 and the latest Champions League semi-final coverage. With three matchweeks remaining and silverware, European places and survival all on the line, EPL Matchweek 36 promises to leave its mark on the season’s final shape.
