The Premier League is shaping as much as be a classic title race, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal set for a three-way battle as we enter the final weeks of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s side are aiming for a fourth successive league title – a feat never before achieved in English football history – and the title is now inside their grasp after slipping away at home to each Liverpool and Arsenal on this dreadful Sunday. in. two weeks ago.
But it isn’t over yet. With City in motion in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend, each Arsenal and Liverpool had two games to play before City’s next Premier League match. This is a chance for Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta to press.
Arsenal did their job, beating Wolves after which Chelsea to maneuver 4 points clear of Guardiola’s side. Liverpool are up next in the midweek Merseyside derby, before City travel to Brighton.
So, with 4 weeks to go, which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest game to finish the season?
This is where titles could be won and lost…
weapon
Points: 77
GD: +56
Average Opponents PPG: 1.47
difficult: ★★★★
What a difference every week makes. Arsenal have responded brilliantly to their defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League and are once more brimming with belief despite a costly 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa earlier this month.
Mikel Arteta’s side easily picked up where they left off, and an announcement 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea sent the message that Arsenal are about to hit the run-in again. Next up, it’s Tottenham, and one in every of the biggest north London derbies in years.
Arsenal know that only a win will do but they’re leading from the front and may also have the advantage of playing first after they host Bournemouth in early May. Next, it’s Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Arsenal still must drop points to City but have rediscovered their form. This gives the Gunners a probability to maneuver on from Pep Guardiola’s side until the end of the season. And take a look at the difference in that goal. If City go down, Arsenal have a transparent advantage over Liverpool in the event that they stay level on points.
Liverpool
Points: 74
GD: +43
Average Opponents PPG: 1.50
difficult: ★★★★
Liverpool are eight wins from the title and have the Premier League of their hands, but now they need support from elsewhere. A 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford was a setback, but a 1-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace could prove fatal to Liverpool’s title probabilities.
The Reds lost their advantage, but a 3-1 win at Fulham means Jurgen Klopp’s Reds now have the probability to maneuver 4 points clear of Manchester City after they travel to Everton and Goodison Park for the midweek Merseyside derby. Will – although the champions have two games in hand.
Liverpool have the hardest final three, and the other key clashes to look out for are against sides chasing Champions League football. Liverpool face Tottenham at Anfield before traveling to Aston Villa on Monday night in the final week of the season, giving Liverpool a tricky final trio of games in May when Wolves are also considered at home on the final day. will
Having already won the Carabao Cup, the Reds were favorites to achieve the Europa League final and the Dublin showpiece on 22 May. But a shock defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League has left Klopp with only the Premier League to battle through his final few weeks in charge. A Manchester City-Arsenal Champions League semi-final could have distracted Liverpool’s title rivals, however it won’t be after they each crash out of Europe on the same night.
City of Manchester
Points: 73
GD: +44
Average Opponents PPG: 1.37
difficult: ★★★
After City were knocked out of the Champions League on penalties by Real Madrid, there will probably be no repeat of the treble, but the double still stands. Defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal last weekend left the champions in charge of the title race, and so they now have a positive run in front of them after hitting the front.
City, nonetheless, have been here before and their Premier League fixtures now look more favorable with games against Liverpool and Arsenal out of the equation. That leaves the trip to Tottenham, where City have never won in the Premier League under Guardiola, as their hardest fixture of the run. The Gunners could have done something of their north London rivals’ favor there.
The match will now be played in the final week of the season, after City reached one other FA Cup final with victory over Chelsea. It is also a must-win match for Ange Postecoglou’s side, as Spurs aim to secure Champions League qualification. Tottenham will know what they need by then, too, having already faced Arsenal and Liverpool.
With their FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea this weekend, City won’t be back in Premier League motion until Thursday 25 April. As each Liverpool and Arsenal have played twice before in the title race, this might give the illusion of City playing catch-up. This gives Liverpool and Arsenal a probability to use pressure.
Credit : www.independent.co.uk
