The Premier League is now at the business stage of the season with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in a three-team battle to lift the coveted trophy at the end of the season.
For the first time since 2014, just one point separates the top three after 28 games played.
By May 6, 2014, only two points separated Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea, but City won their game in hand to leapfrog a stumbling Liverpool — characterised by Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip and Crystal Palace’s comeback — and snatch the title.
Arsenal currently sit top of the table with 64 points. Liverpool are second with 64 points too but with a lower goal difference while Man City sit third with 63 points. However, on paper, City look the most likely to retain the trophy this season as they have mastered the art of navigating the difficult end of the season.
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On the other hand, after falling off the race at the final stage of the 2022/2023 Season, Arsenal have garnered a lot of experience to see them challenge better this season, especially after beating City to the signing of Declan Rice in the transfer market.
Rice has been the difference in the Arsenal team and he may be the reason they would become champions this time around.
Liverpool are also doing great, grinding out results in the difficult games. The Reds want to win the trophy for their departing coach, Jurgen Klopp. The return of key players from injury may also help them be in good stead to win the League.
Daily Trust has highlighted 10 key matches that could sway the direction the trophy will go come May, 2024.
Below are 10 matches that could determine who wins the Premier League this season:
Man City vs Arsenal, 31 March
The battle for the trophy has been reignited now that the international break is over. The first important match will see Arsenal trade tackles with Man City. Arsenal were brushed aside 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium last season as their title challenge fell away.
However, they beat City 1-0 at the Emirates earlier in the season. They’re in better shape now but it’s hard to see them leaving Manchester with all three points on Sunday. The result will go a long way in shaping the battle at the top.
Man City vs Aston Villa, 3 April
Villa are flying high this season and produced a superb performance to beat City 1-0 in the reverse fixture, but that high defensive line looks ripe for the picking at the Etihad. City will certainly be looking at pocketing all three points at the end of the day but the result will be significant for the two sides.
Man United vs Liverpool, 7 April
Predicting matches between two of English football’s fiercest rivals is always tricky. United had a better season than Liverpool in 2022/23, yet they lost 7-0 at Anfield. This season, when they were expected to be turned over once more, they became the only team to stop Liverpool scoring at home in 22 games. What happens in this fixture will affect the final outlook of the table at the end of the season.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa April 13
Aston Villa will likely be right in the hunt for the Champions League places by the middle of April. So this game is hugely important to them as well as Arsenal. Villa took all the points in the earlier fixture. Arsenal will want to do everything possible to get all three points this time around but a is likely.
Tottenham vs Arsenal, 27 April
The big one — and one of the most important matches left for Arsenal this season. The North London derby has always been significant. Spurs will be fighting for the top four at this stage, making three points hugely valuable, and they would love nothing better than to deal irreparable damage to their north London rivals’ trophy hopes. It was a 2-2 draw in the first fixture but it could go any way in this reverse encounter.
Liverpool Vs Tottenham, 4 May
Liverpool’s final three games look to be a real challenge. First up is a Tottenham side battling for a UEFA Champions League place and likely to be in need of whatever points they can get. The fact that Spur defeated the Reds 2-1 in the reverse fixture earlier will give them the confidence to dent the hosts’ title push.
Aston Villa Vs Liverpool, 11 May
Mohamed Salah Scores for Liverpool against Aston VillaAfter hosting Spurs, Liverpool must travel to another Champions League hopeful, Aston Villa. This could potentially be the decisive game in Villa’s quest to qualify for Europe’s top competition. Liverpool will hope they have already managed it, thereby making this a potentially easier game.
Man United vs Arsenal, 11 May
United have a strong home record against Arsenal in the Premier League era, beating them 3-1 Arsenal last time but this has been a desperately challenging season under Erik ten Hag. They could well be out of the running for the Champions League places by this point, which would mean further uncertainty around the manager.
Arsenal should be too good for them having defeated the Red Devils 3-1 in the reverse fixture earlier. However, matches of this magnitude in unpredictable. The outcome of this fixture will go a long way in shaping the Gunners’ title challenge.
Arsenal vs Chelsea (TBD)
Arsenal beat Chelsea comfortably at home last season, and things have not exactly gone great for Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues in 2023/24. However, a traditionally high-scoring derby game like this has the potential to see the Gunners slip up and lose ground in the title race.
Tottenham vs Man City (TBD)
This is probably the last game City will genuinely fear. They have a lousy record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; their FA Cup victory there earlier this season, ending a run of five consecutive losses without even scoring a goal. After a 3-3 draw at the Etihad in the reverse game, another exciting draw could be on the cards.
