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The Premier League is heading for a classic title race, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal set for a three-way battle as the season enters the run-in.
Manchester City, the defending champions, are aiming to win a fourth league title in a row under Pep Guardiola – a feat that has never been achieved in the history of English football. City blew Arsenal away in last year’s run-in, but the Gunners are back in the fight this campaign and showed a newfound resilience to grind out a 0-0 draw at the Etihad and remain above the champions with eight games to go. The top three have now all played each other twice, so the fate of the title race will be decided elsewhere.
It leaves Liverpool leading the way as the run-in truly begins, with the title in their hands as Jurgen Klopp visits Manchester United and Old Trafford for the final time before he leaves Anfield at the end of the season.
So, as the Premier League title race enters April, which team has the best fixtures and who has the hardest run of games to end the season? Here’s where the title could be won and lost…
Points: 71
GD: +51
Avg. opponents PpG: 1.62
Difficulty: ★★★★
Have Mikel Arteta’s side learnt their lesson from last season? The Gunners won just three of their final nine Premier League games last year, which included a four-game winless run, as they fell away in the title race.
But a 0-0 draw at the Etihad, where they were thrashed 4-1 last season, is a sign that Arsenal are tougher challengers than they were this time last year. The result might have given Liverpool the advantage, but it is a huge boost to Arteta’s men psychologically ahead of April and May.
Arsenal lost the title away from home last season – with defeat at the Etihad and costly dropped points from winning positions at Anfield and the London Stadium. Their fate this season will be determined on the road again, but they are looking immense defensively away from home and have kept five clean sheets in a row and making light work of Brighton.
There are still tricky tests to come, against Aston Villa on Sunday and what is shaping up to be an epic against Tottenham on Sunday 28 April. Old Trafford also looms large on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Participation in the latter stages of the Champions League will also make this season’s title race a different challenge. Arsenal will face Bayern Munich and Harry Kane in their first quarter-final since 2010, with the two legs falling either side of the home clash with Villa on Sunday 14 April.
A result of Arsenal’s stunning attacking form – with eight wins in a row in the Premier League before the City draw – is the Gunners now possess the best goal difference in the Premier League. That could be crucial.
Points: 70
GD: +42
Avg. opponents PpG: 1.50
Difficulty: ★★★1/2
After near misses in 2019 and 2022, Liverpool know they must be close to perfect to dethrone Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the title race. Perhaps a 1-1 draw against the champions at Anfield was a missed opportunity, but Liverpool were the winners as City and Arsenal played out a goalless stalemate at the Etihad. A home fixture against Sheffield United may have got nervy, but the title is in Liverpool’s hands with eight games to go.
A second visit to Old Trafford in a matter of weeks stands out for obvious reasons, and Liverpool have an even greater incentive to win now after a dramatic defeat to Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Klopp’s final trip to Goodison Park should also be an emotional occasion, as title-chasing Liverpool face relegation-threatened Everton in a midweek Merseyside derby on Wednesday 24 April. Liverpool dropped points away to both Manchester United and Everton during the 2018/19 run-in.
Liverpool also have the trickiest final-three, and the other key clashes to look out for are those against sides chasing Champions League football. Liverpool face Tottenham at Anfield before a trip to Aston Villa, giving Liverpool a tough final trio of games in May when Wolves at home on the final day is also considered.
Having already won the Carabao Cup, Klopp’s side are also going strong in the Europa League and are favourites to reach the Dublin final on 22 May. They will play Atalanta in the quarter-finals, with either Benfica or Marseille awaiting in the semis. The Reds are once again heading for a dramatic final few weeks – could Klopp lift the Premier League in his final season?
Manchester City
Points: 70
GD: +40
Avg. opponents PpG: 1.43
Difficulty: ★★★
The double treble is still on, but are Manchester City as good as they were last season? Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in 21 games but they were unable to beat either Liverpool or Arsenal in their two title showdowns either side of the international break, and it leaves the champions third in the title race.
But City have been here before and their fixtures are looking favourable now Liverpool and Arsenal are out of the equation. Indeed, a 4-1 thumping of Aston Villa was a strong response to the frustrating stalemate against the Gunners, in what could have been a difficult night against Unai Emery’s side.
Up next, City’s April schedule in the Premier League involves three games against teams in the Premier League’s bottom seven in Crystal Palace, Luton Town and Nottingham Forest. A visit to out-of-form Brighton follows on Thursday 25 April.
It leaves a trip to Tottenham, where City have never won in the Premier League under Guardiola, as their toughest fixture of the run-in. That could now be played late in the season after City reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
Still involved in three competitions, City have the busiest schedule of the Premier League title contenders, although Luton at home in between a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, to be played across 9 and 17 April, could have been a lot worse. The timing of that Tottenham trip will be crucial, however.
Source: independent.co.uk
