THE final day of a Premier League campaign has a unique set of criteria to consider.

Which team has one eye on the sun-loungers? Which side still have a job to do and are suitably psyched up to do it? Who just wants to get through these last ninety minutes of turbulence so they can reset over the summer?

The final day of a Premier League campaign is distinct even from the set of fixtures that immediately precedes it.

This separation from the norm tends to produce odd scorelines and lots of goals. In the last decade at least one side have converted five or more on the final day, and when it comes to crazy outcomes we all remember Middlesbrough putting eight past a beleaguered Manchester City and Sir Alex Ferguson signing off with a five-all draw at West Brom.

Last season’s climax saw an average of 3.9 goals per game and there hasn’t been a goalless draw since 2015.

Champions Manchester City have yet to lose a final day game under Pep Guardiola but Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo poses a threat, bagging four in five. Mbeumo to score and over 2.5 goals total offers up 24/5 as a bet builder

Though City always have the potential to rack up a hatful, no matter the opposition, the very opposite obviously applies to bottom-of-the-league, already-relegated Southampton and their hosting of Liverpool this Sunday. Because while it may be tempting to believe that the Saints have the wherewithal to go down swinging, previous final days should dissuade us of that possibility.

In recent years Sunderland, QPR and Norwich (twice) have gone into the last day rock-bottom and with their fate sealed, and all have been hammered five-fold. There are plenty of other examples too, of doomed teams who no doubt hoped to depart on a high note only to remind everyone how they got into their unholy mess in the first place.

Behind the scenes this week at St Marys planning will have commenced on adapting to life in the Championship and for all that Ruben Selles’ men will be seeking a modicum of pride to take into the summer this is a club presently defeated and broken. An early concession and the score-line could get ugly.

Granted, Liverpool were out-of-sorts last week against Villa but they are still unbeaten in ten while Southampton are winless in 12. All season long, the Reds have scored 3+ goals in a quarter of their league fixtures while the Saints have been breached 3+ times in 29.7% of their games.

Back over 2.5 goals for the visitors at 19/20

At Goodison, Elland Road and the King Power, meanwhile tense and ferocious battles will take place to determine who avoids going down with their South Coast counterparts.

Everton of course boast a two-point advantage over their rivals but perhaps from a psychological standpoint Leeds and Leicester at least know that a win, and only a win, will suffice and set themselves up accordingly.

It greatly intrigues that three relegation candidates all go into the final day at home to sides who – for differing reasons – are eminently beatable so from that perspective the merits and flaws of their opponents should be given as much consideration as Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence, or whether Leicester will finally realise they have some really good players.

The Foxes have won the second fewest number of corners this term while West Ham have fared well in this regard. Back the Hammers to win more corners at the King Power at 7/5

Which leads us most pertinently to Tottenham who – as well as Chelsea – were referenced at the top as a team that just wants this season to end, so they can regroup, rethink, and start from scratch.

A proficient win over Crystal Palace aside, Spurs have been largely abject for several weeks now, conceding 18 goals in their other six since their under-whelming season imploded and of the trio heading into fiery cauldrons this weekend, they absolutely have the weakest of wills should a proverbial kitchen sink be thrown at them.

What they do have though is Harry Kane, a striker who has scored in his last four outings, not to mention twice in his last two meetings with Leeds.

Everton have Dominic Solanke to deal with while Leicester face Danny Ings, who has failed to score since February. Leeds must nullify a player who has bagged 0.76 goals per 90 in 2022/23. That doesn’t seem fair.

Leeds incidentally have scored inside half an hour seven times in their last 11 games.

A bet builder backing Kane to score and Leeds to notch over 0.5 goals in the first half is a shout at 49/20

As already stated, Leicester take on West Ham, a team everybody assumed would be distracted by their forthcoming European final but there was scant evidence of that in their impressive besting of Leeds last Sunday.

Instinct says that Leicester are down.

Which leaves Everton and a frenetic and fraught encounter with hot-and-cold Bournemouth.

The Cherries have conceded a league-high 27 from set pieces this term and arguably this represents the Toffees’ best hope of salvation. Worryingly, for the hosts, Gary O’Neil’s men have won three of their last four on the road.

BTTS is well worth a punt at 19/20