Über das Forum » loaded gun in the vehicle. That might help

The riches on offer in the Champions League make the battle for the top four hotly contested, and with the Premier League at its most unpredictable, next seasons English representatives in Europes elite competition will certainly not be all of the traditional powerhouses.Leicester have one place all but sewn up, while Tottenham are looking up rather than down in second.But what about the rest? Are Arsenal in danger of missing out on a top-four finish? Can West Ham keep up their form until the end of the season? Could injuries condemn Pep Guardiola to the Europa League next season? We look at the hopes of a cluster of clubs with top-four aspirations. Premier League table Team Games played Goal difference Points Arsenal 31 22 58 Man City 31 24 54 Man Utd 31 12 53 West Ham 31 12 51 Southampton 32 8 47 Stoke 32 -3 47 Liverpool 30 5 45 FormAfter exiting the FA Cup and Champions League in the same week before the international break, Arsenal have hit back in the Premier League and have put in some impressive performances against Everton and Watford in their last two games to remain on course for a record 19th consecutive Champions League qualification.West Ham are on a roll and hitting top form at the right time. The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games, but were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling Crystal Palace last weekend. Citys form could cost them a top-four place After Manchester Citys defeat against bitter rivals United just before the international break, Manuel Pelligrinis men came firing back with a 4-0 win against Bournemouth on Saturday - but the teams around them also won their games. Their home form remains of particular concern, having suffered more defeats this season at the Etihad than the last four seasons combined.United have also been guilty of inconsistency, but have won four of the last five in the league. If Louis van Gaal is going to have any hope of keeping his job, United must build on the recent wins and finish in at least fourth.Only Leicester and Tottenham have secured more points in their last six games than Stoke, while Liverpool and Southampton have also seen an upturn in their recent fortunes.Remaining fixtures Remaining fixtures for teams in race for fourth Arsenal Man City West Ham Man Utd Southampton Stoke Liverpool West Ham (a) West Brom (h) Arsenal (h) Tottenham (a) Newcastle (h) Liverpool (a) Stoke (h) Crystal Palace (h) Chelsea (a) Leicester (a) Aston Villa (h) Everton (a) Tottenham (h) Bournemouth (a) West Brom (h) Newcastle (a) Watford (h) Crystal Palace (h) Aston Villa (a) Man City (a) Everton (h) Sunderland (a) Stoke (h) West Brom (a) Leicester (h) Man City (h) Sunderland (h) Newcastle (h) Norwich (h) Southampton (a) Swansea (h) Norwich (a) Tottenham (a) Crystal Palace (a) Swansea (a) Man City (a) Arsenal (h) Man Utd (h) West Ham (a) Crystal Palace (h) West Ham (h) Watford (h) Aston Villa (h) Swansea (a) Stoke (a) Bournemouth (h) - - Chelsea (h) - - - - - - West Brom (a) What helps Liverpools cause is that they have a game in hand, against neighbours Everton, live on Sky Sports, and in a fixture that they have not tasted defeat since 1999, theyll fancy their chances of making up ground.Arsenal could dent West Hams aspirations when the pair face off this weekend, with Manchester City the only other top half opposition left for Arsene Wengers men, while the Hammers face an altogether tougher set of fixtures with Leicester, Manchester United and Stoke still to come. Relegation run-in Newcastle, Sunderland, Norwich City and Aston Villa run-ins analysed Along with a Champions League quarter-final against PSG to contend with, Citys remaining matches are unrelenting, with Chelsea, Stoke, Southampton, Arsenal and relegation-battling Newcastle still on the agenda.United also have to face the top two, as well as what could be that make-or-break encounter against West Ham on May 10, live on Sky Sports.Game changers Dimitri Payet has been in scintillating form for West Ham Each team in the run-in possesses a potent weapon which could be the difference between agony and ecstasy. The question is, can they turn it on when it matters most?Manchester City and Arsenals main protagonists seem to have gone missing at the wrong time. Mesut Ozil couldnt put a foot wrong earlier in the season, but has managed just two goals and three assists in his last ten league games, while Sergio Aguero has just three goals to show for his last six league outings. Steve Round thinks Manchester United have momentum at a key time West Ham are where they are due to their new-found wealth of talent - with Dimitri Payet the embodiment of their attacking endeavour.Nine goals and eight assists represents a fantastic Premier League debut campaign, and having been instrumental in recent comebacks against Norwich and Everton, when the Hammers looked dead and buried, such ability could earn those extra few points that could make all the difference.Manchester United have turned to youth, with Marcus Rashford the first name on the team sheet at the moment. There has been no initiation period for Anthony Martial either, as he has become the focal point of everything United have to offer. Youngsters have been trusted with firing United into the top four The fitness of Daniel Sturridge will be pivotal to Liverpools hopes, Ibrahim Afellay is showing what all the fuss at Barcelona was about at Stoke, while Graziano Pelle is back in the Saints team, and back in the goals.Injuries Current injuries Team Number of injuries (According to physioroom.com) Stoke 8 Liverpool 6 Man United 5 Arsenal 4 Man City 4 Southampton 3 West Ham 3 For Arsenal, their treatment room is looking fairly empty for this crucial stage of the season, with mainstays Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain kicking around and Santi Cazorla also joining them for the remainder of the month.Wayne Rooney is nearing a return for Manchester United, but where will he fit in Van Gaals youthful front three? Neighbours City also have key players on the sidelined. Vincent Kompanys calf continues to cause him problems, while Raheem Sterling and Yaya Toure are also sidelined but Joe Hart has made an early return for the run-in.Stoke Citys injury list has sky rocketed in the last few weeks, with Jack Butland out for the rest of the season after picking up an ankle injury on England duty and joins key players such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Ryan Shawcross and Glen Johnson on the sidelines.West Ham have all their big hitters back, Roberto Firmino is nearing a return for Liverpool, while Shane Long is on the mend for Southamptons late push.Conclusion Vincent Kompanys injury problems could cost City dear Manchester City are in real danger of missing out. The absence of Kompany and Toure is a real worry for Manuel Pellegrini, as is their alarming recent slump.That opens the door for the chasing pack. Arsenal have enough points in the bag to be reasonably comfortable, but defeat at West Ham in that crucial upcoming encounter could change all that.The Hammers will fancy their chances, with no pressure on them to succeed and in the form they are in. United simply have to finish at least fourth with the money that they have spent, but have some tough fixtures remaining. West Hams win at Everton shows they have the stomach for the fight Liverpool could make a late surge, but will have to improve at the back following their lacklustre second half showing at Southampton a few weeks ago, who will be looking to build on their comeback win to mount a surge of their own.Stoke are operating under the radar, and will want to keep it that way.In other words, it is going down to the wire!Who do you think has the toughest run-in? Let us know using the message boards or by tweeting @SkyFootballAlso See:Premier League videoFixturesTableLive on SkyGet Sky SportsDiscount Jerseys League . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Discount Jerseys China . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. https://www.discountjerseysonline.com/ . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. Discount Jerseys . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Discount Jerseys Cheap . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games.NEW ORLEANS -- One car rear-ends another on a Saturday night. People argue. It escalates.Ten or so gunshots later, one driver is dead and the other waits nervously to give his side of the story to police.Conflicts settled by gunfire are tragically common in New Orleans but there was nothing routine about this one: the dead man was retired football player Will Smith, a star on the 2006 Saints team that help lift the stricken citys spirits with a winning season after Hurricane Katrina, and on the team that won the franchises only Super Bowl three seasons later.The accused is a 29-year-old former semiprofessional football player named Cardell Hayes. The owner of a tow-truck company and the father of a 5-year-old son, Hayes is described by friends as soft-spoken, even-tempered -- hardly the type to erupt into a lethal road rage. His attorney has been laying the groundwork for a self-defense argument ahead of a trial that opens Monday, but he may face an added burden in Smiths local popularity and national renown.Will Smith obviously was a beloved member of the New Orleans community, Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino said in a recent interview. And thats going to make the defense of this case all the more difficult.Smiths shooting death is strangely similar to that of Joe McKnight, another former NFL player who was shot and killed just last Thursday in a New Orleans suburb after a road rage incident on a nearby bridge spiraled out of control. The man authorities identified as the shooter in that case -- Ronald Gasser -- has been released from custody with no charges as the investigation continues.Hayes has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Smiths death. Conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Hes also charged with attempted second-degree murder in the wounding of Smiths wife, who was shot in the legs. Hes been jailed since the April shooting, unable to make the $1.75 million bond.Snippets of surveillance video from near the scene, police statements plus testimony from pre-trial hearings paint this picture of what happened on April 9:Smith, his wife and two friends left a restaurant in New Orleans Lower Garden District and were heading downtown on Magazine Street. At one point Smiths SUV appeared to bump the rear of a Hummer that had come to a stop on the street.Rather than stop, Smith swerved his SUV around the Hummer and continued downtown. Moments later, the Hummer hit Smiths SUV from behind, shatterinng the rear window and pushing it into the rear of another car -- in which more friends of Smith were riding.ddddddddddddho the aggressors were in the ensuing conflict will be at issue in the trial. Hayes acknowledged to at least one police officer that he was armed when he got out of his vehicle. He said he was accosted by an unarmed Smith and others, and that Smith struck him, although police said there were no obvious signs of injury.The first officer to approach the scene after the crash was an off-duty rookie who had been at a nearby bar. Christopher McGaw has testified that he approached the scene as the argument grew more heated, ducked for cover when gunshots rang out, then approached again, finding Smith slumped across the front seat of his car, one hand extended toward the glove box.What was I supposed to do? Hayes is heard asking McGaw, on a recording of a 911 call McGaw had placed at the scene.Why Smith drove away from the scene of the first, apparently minor accident; whether Hayes intentionally rammed Smiths vehicle moments later; whether Smith was reaching for a gun when he was shot to death -- all are issues that will likely be addressed at trial.On the side of the defense is a toxicology report showing that Smith was legally drunk at the time of his death. Other factors Ciolino cited: The fact that Will Smith was, by some reports, so loud and belligerent; the fact that the forensic evidence, arguably could support that Will Smith was reaching for a gun.Smith had returned to his SUV when he was shot and police said there was a loaded gun in the vehicle. That might help the defense argument that Hayes shot in self-defense, Ciolino said. But its an argument that could be blunted by the fact that Smith was shot eight times -- seven in the back, one in the side -- Ciolino added.Prosecutors also have made much of the fact that Hayess Hummer had hit Smiths SUV from behind so hard that the rear window shattered.Another odd twist in the case: A friend of Smiths who wound up at the scene the night of the shooting is William Ceravolo, a retired New Orleans police officer who had dined with the Smiths before the accident. Ceravolo was among six officers sued by Hayes after police killed his father, Anthony Hayes, in December 2005. Police settled the lawsuit in 2011, and terms were confidential. ' ' '