With the relegation battle tighter than ever, LeoVegas Sport has looked at the last five Premier League seasons to analyse who typically performs strongest and weakest over the Easter weekend, and how this affects the run-in to the end of the campaign.

Who is the Premier League’s Easter saviour?

• With five wins from five, Arsenal sit at the top of the Easter Weekend Premier League table with a maximum total of 15 points. Everton, Manchester City and Man United follow in second place with 12 points apiece. With 17 goals to their name during the same period, Arsenal also top the table for the most amount of goals scored – only Manchester City come close to their record with 15 goals during the same period.
• Surprisingly, Chelsea have registered just six points over the past five years of Easter fixtures, with their solitary wins coming against Stoke (2014/15) and Aston Villa (2015/16). Conte has all but conceded that he will no longer be at the helm by the beginning of next season but with the FA Cup and Champions League qualification still to play for, there is still be time to change minds. Conte will be hoping for a change in fortune this Easter weekend which would in turn signal a strong end to the season.
• Newcastle haven’t recorded a single point over the past five years of Easter fixtures. During that period, they have also shipped in the most goals. With points invaluable at the bottom end of the table, Newcastle can’t afford many more losses. Newcastle’s form is poor following the Easter weekend too – they have a win percentage of just 37%, dropping points in 17 of the 27 fixtures they have played after the Easter fixtures in the past five years. Newcastle will be desperate to get off the points mark this Easter when they face Huddersfield at St James Park. Huddersfield have registered a respectable seven points over the Easter weekend fixtures – Newcastle will need a strong performance if they are to turn around their fortunes.

Which fixtures to look out for on your Easter Hunt?

• With Stoke in the midst of a relegation battle, they can face no tougher fixture this Easter Sunday when they come up against Arsenal at the Emirates. Arsenal have an 100%-win record over the past five years, registering 17 goals and conceding just three goals in the process. Over the years, Arsenal have so often been outdone by Stoke, however, research suggests that this should be a routine win for Wenger’s men. Having struggled for form in 2018, a comfortable win against AC Milan in the Europa League has somewhat steadied the ship. Arsenal will hope to pick up as many points in the league should they have any chance of making a late and almost impossible push for the Champions League places.
• Unsurprisingly, Chelsea vs Tottenham is the stand out fixture this Easter weekend. Chelsea have registered just six points (two wins from five fixtures) over the past five years. During the same period, Tottenham have yet to lose, with three wins and two draws to their names. It will be interesting to see how Tottenham cope without talisman, Harry Kane, who will miss the fixture through injury. Kane has three Easter weekend goals to his name and will no doubt be a massive loss for Spurs. Nevertheless, a win away at Chelsea will all but confirm Tottenham’s qualification in next year’s Champions League, mentally, if not yet mathematically. Judging by Chelsea’s Easter weekend form and recent results, Tottenham will fancy their chances of the getting the ‘job done’ this weekend, even without Kane.
• Despite 41 points separating them in this season’s Premier League table, Everton and Manchester City sit level on points in the Easter Weekend Premier League table, with 12 points each to their name. Manchester City have been scoring for fun this year but on the Easter Weekend, they face a team with the best defensive record over the past five years of Easter fixtures, with Everton conceding just two goals. A routine Manchester City win is expected but with Everton’s history over Easter, don’t expect the usual Manchester City goal blitz.
• At the bottom of the table, West Ham vs Southampton is a massive fixture for both clubs. As well as sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table, both teams find themselves in similar territory in the overall Easter Weekend Premier League Table – in both instances, West Ham sit just above Southampton. If West Ham can score early they will fancy their chances as Southampton have really struggled for goals over the Easter fixtures – they have scored just twice in their past five fixtures, with both goals coming in their shock defeat of Chelsea in 2012/13.

Which club can resurrect their season? 

• On top of a terrible Easter Weekend record (1 point from 15), West Bromwich also have the worst win percentage in the fixtures following on from the Easter weekend – they have won just five out of 30 games, which is a win percentage of just 17%. Currently sitting rock bottom of the Premier League table with just 20 points, with their form after the Easter fixtures (highest loss percentage in the league – 57%), it’s safe to assume that West Bromwich are as good as down.
• With another two spots open for the taking, form after the Easter Weekend is as good indicator as any to predict who is most likely to escape the drop this season. Crystal Palace have the highest loss percentage with 47%, followed by Newcastle with 41% and Stoke with 39%. With a win percentage of 46%, Swansea will fancy their chances of clawing themselves out of the relegation scrap. Likewise, with a win percentage of 37%, Southampton will hope their post Easter fixture will see them over the line. West Ham will be looking over their shoulders for the remainder of the season but with 33% of draws recorded following the Easter weekend fixtures, the Hammers will hope that they can pick up enough points to avoid relegation.
• Despite their poor form on the Easter weekend itself, Chelsea notoriously finish the Premier League season strongly. If they can get a positive result against Tottenham this weekend, they will fancy a late push for a spot in the Top 4. Chelsea’s form after the Easter weekend compares favourably to the likes of Manchester United, who have a particular low win percentage of just 39%. Liverpool also have a low win percentage of 43%. With Liverpool’s Champions League distractions and United struggling for form, summed up by their recent shock Champions League exit to Sevilla, Chelsea might even fancy a late push for automatic Champions League qualification.
• Manchester City have the highest win percentage (69%) in fixtures following the Easter weekend – this stat will only further entrench their grip on this year’s Premier League trophy. Arsenal sit just behind Manchester City in terms of win percentage (66%) and have only lost an impressive two fixtures out of their 32 fixtures following the Easter Weekend. Despite their impressive record, sitting 13 points off 4^th placed Tottenham, it is unlikely that their usual strong finish to the season will matter very much this year, at least as far as the Premier League is concerned.

Place a bet on this weekend’s Premier League action with LeoVegas Sports