MY ACCOUNT
While Manchester City and Liverpool look set for a tense Premier League title scrap, the race to finish in the top four should also provide plenty of drama between now and the end of the season.
We take a look at what the stats say about the teams battling to finish fourth and grab the final Champions League berth.
Arsenal in pole position
Third-placed Chelsea are on track for Champions League qualification once again and Arsenal are in pole position for fourth after an impressive run of results under Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners have won 10 of their last 13 league matches and their only defeats during that run came against champions City and title contenders Liverpool.
Arteta’s side bounced back from their 2-0 home defeat to the Reds by winning 1-0 away to Aston Villa and they will resume after the international break with a three-point lead over rivals Tottenham, who have played one game more than their North London neighbours.
The development of a youthful Arsenal team has been impressive and they are rightly favourites to finish fourth.
They have had a lighter workload than most of their rivals, having failed to qualify for Europe last season for the first time in 25 years but there are still some tough hurdles ahead of them.
The Gunners have struggled against the big clubs this term, losing six of their seven matches against other top-six sides.
And their remaining fixtures include away trips to Chelsea, Spurs and high-flying West Ham, as well as a home clash with Manchester United.
But up next is a trip to Selhurst Park on Monday to face Crystal Palace.
Consistency a concern for Spurs and United
Consistency has been a problem for Tottenham this season — under both Nuno Espirito Santo and his successor Antonio Conte.
Spurs have won five and lost five of their last 10 league matches, meaning Sunday’s visit from a resurgent Newcastle is a difficult game to predict.
But Lilywhites fans will point out that four of those wins came in their last five fixtures, with the only blot coming at Old Trafford as Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliant hat-trick gave Manchester United a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The fixture list provides another boost to Tottenham’s hopes of making the top four.
They face only two more matches against top-eight clubs — a home derby against Arsenal and a trip to Liverpool in May.
And having done the league double over City this term, they know they can compete with the best clubs in Europe.
Like Tottenham, United changed their manager before the halfway point of the season and interim boss Ralf Rangnick will be desperate to secure Champions League qualification.
Rangnick’s men were knocked out of the Champions League by last-16 opponents Atletico Madrid but are just one point behind Tottenham in the league.
More ruthlessness is required in front of goal as United have dropped points against Newcastle, Wolves, Aston Villa, Burnley, Southampton and Watford since Christmas, while they still have to play Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal before the end of the season.
West Ham and Wolves to come up short
While Arsenal, Spurs and United have no cup or European distractions, seventh-placed West Ham are into the Europa League quarter-finals.
The Hammers, who finished sixth last season, are enjoying another fine campaign under David Moyes but their 3-1 defeat at Tottenham last time out — just a few days after a gruelling extra-time Europa League win over Sevilla — dented their top-four chances.
Jarrod Bowen’s injury was another setback for West Ham and they, along with Wolves, may end up scrapping for seventh and eighth rather than the coveted fourth spot.
Bruno Lage has done a fine job at Molineux in his first season in England but a run of four defeats in six — the latest a 3-2 loss to Leeds— looks to have knocked the stuffing out of his side’s challenge.
