It all got here all the way down to Liverpool on Sunday when Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal meant the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion was enough to take the Reds top of the Premier League table with just weeks of competition left. . schedule.
This means Liverpool have a 47% likelihood of winning the title, by option, higher than Manchester City’s 34% and Arsenal’s 19%. However, with only a three-point gap between first-placed Liverpool and third-placed City, much will rely on the remaining fixtures on the table.
Although none of the three title contenders will face each other in the ultimate phase of the season, each of them will face teams from different ends of the table. This includes significant clashes against teams currently in the highest half of the Premier League table, three of which can come against the trophy-seeking trio of Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. It makes for an incredibly competitive race to the finish for Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City and leaves little or no room for error.
With nine games left to play, here’s a rating of each team’s remaining games from easiest to hardest.
Premier League standings
Team | envoy | IN | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Steering |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liverpool |
29 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
67 |
27 |
+40 |
67 |
Arsenal |
29 | 20 | 5 | 4 |
70 |
24 |
+46 |
65 |
Manchester |
29 | 19 | 7 | 3 |
63 |
28 |
35 |
64 |
3. Manchester City, 64 points
Remaining schedule
All times Eastern/American
- April 3, 15:15: Aston Villa (home)
- April 6, 7:30: Crystal Palace (away)
- April 13, 10:00: Luton Town (at home)
- April 25, 15:00: Brighton and Hove Albion (away)
- April 28, 11:30: Nottingham Forest (away)
- May 4, 10:00: Wolverhampton Wanderers (at home)
- May 11, 10:00: Fulham (away)
- May 19, 11:00: West Ham (home)
- TBD: Tottenham Hotspur (away)
City’s schedule is nearly perfectly balanced, with three European places contenders, three mid-table teams and three teams ranked 14th and below. The hardest matches will undoubtedly come against fourth-placed Villa, who they may play on Wednesday, fifth-placed Spurs and seventh-placed West Ham. This is very true for Villa and Tottenham, who’re in direct competition with each other for the one possible place within the Champions League.
The remaining six opponents, nevertheless, are ranked ninth to 18th and must be teams that ought to only cause City limited trouble. The group includes two teams which might be currently in the center of a relegation battle – Seventeenth-place Nottingham Forest and 18th-place Luton. These two games could also help City increase their goal difference if needed, as their goal difference is plus-35, while Liverpool are plus-40 and Arsenal are plus-46.
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2. Liverpool, 67 points
Remaining schedule
All times Eastern/American
- April 4, 2:30 p.m.: Sheffield United (home)
- April 7, 10:30: Manchester United (away)
- April 14, 9:00: Crystal Palace (at home)
- April 21, 11:30 Fulham (away)
- April 24, 15:00: Everton (away)
- April 27, 7:30: West Ham (away)
- May 4, 10:00: Tottenham Hotspur (home)
- May 11, 10:00: Aston Villa (away)
- May 19, 11:00: Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)
The next few weeks might be a difficult one for Liverpool, who will face each of the teams placed fourth to seventh – Villa, Spurs, Manchester United and West Ham. Back-to-back games against Tottenham and Villa as penultimate fixtures could also provide a key test of the Reds’ ability to remain top, while next week’s clash with United could provide an early answer to how strong Liverpool are of their bid. close the case.
That said, Liverpool have three games on their schedule against teams ranked 14th to twentieth, a gaggle that’s eight points or more behind the remaining of the table. Like City, Liverpool will face two teams within the relegation race – Everton, currently in sixteenth place, and last-place Sheffield United, whom they may face in midweek. The remaining matches against mid-table opponents also needs to be relatively straightforward.
1. Arsenal, 65 points
Remaining schedule
All times Eastern/American
- April 3, 2:30 p.m.: Luton Town (at home)
- April 6, 12:30: Brighton and Hove Albion (away)
- April 13, 11:30: Aston Villa (away)
- April 20, 14:30: Wolverhampton Wanderers (away)
- April 23, 15:00: Chelsea (at home)
- April 28, 9:00: Tottenham Hotspur (away)
- May 4, 10:00: Bournemouth (home)
- May 11, 10:00: Manchester United (away)
- May 19, 11:00: Everton (home)
Arsenal are doing barely higher than Liverpool relating to games against teams in the highest half of the table – they will not need to play seventh-placed West Ham, but they may still have Villa, Spurs and United before the tip of the season. Tottenham will likely be in the center of a competitive race for fourth place when Arsenal tackle them, however the added incentive of one of the fiercest competitions within the Premier League means the matchup might be a bit tougher for the Gunners than for the remaining.
However, the bulk of Arsenal’s schedule consists of matches against mid-table teams, with 4 of the five teams placed ninth to thirteenth playing. Arsenal’s biggest drawback, nevertheless, is that on this stretch they may only face two relegation contenders, not three Liverpool and City. One of them will play against Luton on Wednesday, which should give them opportunity to scale back their goal difference. The second is the ultimate clash with Everton, who may have points to remain within the positive, which again makes this matchup potentially harder than it’d appear on paper.
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