The Japan Times - Top-five race heats up as Saints try to avoid unwanted history

Manchester City have fought back from a shocking mid-season slump and will fancy their chances of finishing in one of the Champions League spots.

At the other end of the table, Southampton are bidding to avoid finishing their dismal season on a historic low note.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of this weekend's action:

Man City braced for Wolves test

Manchester City's struggle to salvage something from their turbulent season by securing a place in the Champions League faces a stiff test from in-form Wolves on Friday.

Fourth-placed City are locked in a tense fight with Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, who lost 2-0 against Brentford on Thursday.

The top five finishers will all qualify for the Champions League after strong performances in Europe from English clubs.

Forest are back in action at Crystal Palace on Monday, while Villa host Fulham on Saturday. Newcastle travel to Brighton on Sunday, with Chelsea hosting Liverpool later that afternoon.

Pep Guardiola has welcomed City stars Rodri and Erling Haaland back to training in recent days but neither is ready to return to action.

Deprived of arguably his two most important players, Rodri since September and Haaland since March, Guardiola has at least kept City in the hunt as their four-year reign as champions came to an end.

Wolves have reeled off six successive victories to climb away from relegation danger and Guardiola expects them to prove formidable opponents at the Etihad Stadium.

"The quality they have, the shape they play, the courage, it's no surprise," he said.

"Wolves have always had, in the last years, really good players and now they're having an incredible run. It's another final for us, an important game."

Saints aim to avoid record low

Last weekend, Southampton were just minutes away from a draw against Fulham that would have moved them beyond Derby's record-low Premier League points total of 11.

But bottom-of-the-table Saints could not hold on as Ryan Sessegnon's stoppage-time winner completed Fulham's fightback from a goal down at St Mary's.

It was the latest kick in the teeth for Southampton, with relegation to the Championship long since confirmed.

With just four games left, Saturday's trip to second-bottom Leicester, also heading down to the second tier, offers Southampton their best chance to end their tie with Derby's 2007/08 record-low points tally.

"We have to be realistic about the situation I inherited," said interim boss Simon Rusk.

"We've had some difficult results and we are bottom of the league. We were never going to become solid and dominant.

"If we did that when I came in with seven games to go, I'd probably be able to bring world peace as well."

Arsenal warm up for PSG showdown

With the title race over and second-placed Arsenal likely set for a third successive runners-up finish, Mikel Arteta's men are focused on next Wednesday's decisive Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Beaten 1-0 by PSG in the semi-final first leg in London on Tuesday, the Gunners will head to the Parc des Princes aiming for a famous victory.

Arsenal have never won the Champions League so it would be a surprise if Arteta risked many of his key players for Saturday's game against Bournemouth.

Spain midfielder Mikel Merino said his teammates still believe they can advance to their first Champions League final since 2006.

"We don't have to prove things to other people. We have to prove things to ourselves because we are our main critic, and we are the ones that want to win the most," he said.

"That is why we are going to go in the second leg with all the energy in the world."

Fixtures

Friday

Manchester City v Wolves (1900 GMT)

Saturday (1400 GMT unless stated)

Aston Villa v Fulham (1130), Everton v Ipswich, Leicester v Southampton, Arsenal v Bournemouth (1630)

Sunday (1300 GMT unless stated)

Brentford v Manchester United, Brighton v Newcastle, West Ham v Tottenham, Chelsea v Liverpool (1530)

Monday

Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest (1900)

K.Okada--JT