Which of the Premier League top 4 contenders has the toughest run in?

Things are heating up at the top end of the Premier League with Liverpool reaffirming their position in the title race after it had seemed like Manchester City were set to run away with it for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s title race appears to be over thanks to midseason stutter that saw them lose vital ground on the top two. However, barring any late shocks, they seemed to be well placed to finish in the top 3. This leaves just one Champions league place to contend for with at least 5 teams in the hunt according to the experts at oddschecker, who list the many sites offering free bets that can be used to predict who will finish in the top four. However not many are even attempting such predictions at this stage with so little between the contenders Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal, Wolves and Tottenham.

Manchester United

Although many predicted that Manchester United would be title contenders this season, they don’t currently have the squad depth nor the tactical discipline necessary to maintain a strong challenge, even with Cristiano Ronaldo. They are instead in a fight to finish in the top four, should they still be in the mix by mid-April, they’ll have 6 tough opponents to overcome. They face Norwich at home before travelling to Arsenal for a game that may well determine which of them finishes fourth. Their other four games are Brentford (H), Brighton (A), Chelsea (H) and Crystal Palace (A). If they can get at least 12 points from this possible 18, they’ll have a good chance of playing in next year’s Champions League.

West Ham

David Moyes’ Hammers have stuttered in recent weeks, but their form over the last season and a half is enough reason for them to still be feared by their fellow top four contenders. The face a tough run in which begins with a home game against a Burnley side that will probably still be fighting for survival at that point. They then travel to Chelsea before receiving fellow challengers Arsenal, in what will probably be a must win game for both sides. Their final three fixtures include a home match against Manchester City, sandwiched by visits to Norwich and Brighton. Fans will be confident of at least 9 points from these games, but a few more will probably be needed.

Arsenal

While it would have been strange to say so 10 years ago, Arsenal being in the race for the top four this season has surprised many, who thought the Gunners would struggle to qualify for Europe. Mikel Arteta’s team still have a long way to go, but they’ll be well rested between games, as they have been knocked out of all cup competitions already. Their run in includes away fixtures at Southampton, West Ham and Chelsea, as well as home fixtures versus Manchester United, Leeds and Everton. They’ll probably need at least 12 points from these matches to secure a Champions League place, a tough ask for the leagues youngest squad.

Wolves

Bruno Lage’s men have shocked many this year with their consistent performances finally starting to yield the points they deserve. If they’re still in the race come April, they’ll need as many points as they can get from home games against Manchester City, Brighton and Norwich. Their away fixtures are arguably even tougher with trips to Burnley Chelsea and Liverpool on the final day, so they’ll need to maintain the performance levels they’ve shown so far.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham’s recent victory over Manchester City has reignited their top four hopes after a period of poor form. Antonio Conte will be confident that in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min he has the two most dangerous forwards of all the top four contenders, who can fire his team to glory. Tottenham’s run in looks favourable in comparison to some of their rivals, with home fixtures against Brighton, Leicester and Burnley and away trips to Brentford, Liverpool and Norwich City. While the team and its fans will be confident of securing healthy points total from these games, they’ll need to be weary of the slip ups that have already cost them this season.