Manchester United face a seven-game mini-league over the next two months, with the reward for success being a return to Champions League football.
Thanks to the run Manchester United went on after replacing Ruben Amorim with Michael Carrick, the Red Devils find themselves in a race to finish third.
This was unimaginable under Amorim.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal |
31 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 61 | 22 | 39 | 70 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City |
30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 60 | 28 | 32 | 61 |
| 3 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United |
31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 56 | 43 | 13 | 55 |
| 4 |  Aston VillaAston Villa |
31 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 54 |
| 5 |  LiverpoolLiverpool |
31 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 50 | 42 | 8 | 49 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea |
31 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 53 | 38 | 15 | 48 |
Carrick’s brilliance, combined with a lack of alternatives, has made him a potential permanent option for Ineos this summer, maybe even in pole position.
But with seven games to go, how does United’s run-in compare with the other three teams? And how many points can we realistically expect?
Manchester United
Sitting in third right now, United are the leaders in this four-way Champions League football battle. Carrick’s side boasts a six-point gap to Liverpool in fifth and seven points to Chelsea.
However, the seven games remaining have few easy wins for United, playing both Liverpool and Chelsea, along with rivals Leeds and European contenders Brentford.
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Manchester UnitedManchester United
LeedsLeeds
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ChelseaChelsea
Manchester UnitedManchester United
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BrentfordBrentford
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LiverpoolLiverpool
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SunderlandSunderland
Manchester UnitedManchester United
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Manchester UnitedManchester United
Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest
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BrightonBrighton
Manchester UnitedManchester United
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- Current points tally: 55
- Projected points tally: 71
- League finish: 3rd
United likely only needs to beat Chelsea and win at least two or three others to ensure qualification for next season’s competition, while it would likely see Carrick named permanent head coach.
It would be a big failure if United doesn’t go on and wrap up Champions League football in April. We see United picking up 16 points from the last seven games to finish the season on 71.
Aston Villa
The closest contenders to United right now are Aston Villa. But despite their league positioning, United beat Villa 3-1 in March, a result which moved the Red Devils ahead.
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Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest
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SunderlandSunderland
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FulhamFulham
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BurnleyBurnley
Aston VillaAston Villa
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LiverpoolLiverpool
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Manchester CityManchester City
Aston VillaAston Villa
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- Current points tally: 54
- Projected points tally: 65
- League finish: 4th
Fourth is where we see Villa finishing the season with our predictions model, picking up 11 points from a possible 21 to conclude the campaign inside the top four, unless they do go all in on the Europa League.
Villa will get or lose top four football in the final two games of the season, with outings against Liverpool and Man City to come.
Liverpool
It has been a campaign to forget at Anfield, with Arne Slot’s second season seeing a timid defence of the league title despite the massive transfer window had in 2025.
Liverpool is so inconsistent, even at this stage of the season, and their final seven games are all tricky, which could see it end up being a flat conclusion to the campaign.
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LiverpoolLiverpool
FulhamFulham
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EvertonEverton
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Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace
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BrentfordBrentford
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- Current points tally: 49
- Projected points tally: 63
- League finish: 5th
Liverpool are fifth in our projection, with their four games to conclude the season against those around them in the top seven, and so are lucky to be so high.
This campaign could go horribly wrong for Liverpool if they don’t find a way to get results in the next two months.
Chelsea
Finally, in sixth and therefore missing out on the Champions League spots, we have Chelsea, with the Blues on a downward spiral that will only get worse.
Chelsea under Liam Rosenior are really struggling, with two games in a row against City and United, they could be in big trouble by the end of April.
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ChelseaChelsea
Manchester CityManchester City
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Manchester UnitedManchester United
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BrightonBrighton
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Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest
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TottenhamTottenham
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SunderlandSunderland
ChelseaChelsea
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- Current points tally: 48
- Projected points tally: 61
- League finish: 6th
Chelsea should really be looking below them at the moment, as in the current form of the side, sixth and 61 points is likely to be nowhere close to what they will get.
Don’t be surprised to see Chelsea down in seventh or eighth.
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