Manchester City are battling it out with Liverpool and Arsenal in a three-way race for the Premier League title.
It’s been a great start to 2024 for Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola’s side yet to taste defeat in the new year.
City have enjoyed excellent form in all competitions but their Premier League results have seen them gain ground on Liverpool and Arsenal at the top of the table.
The Blues had played fewer games than both Liverpool and Arsenal for a large period as their match against Brentford was postponed due to their participation in the Club World Cup in December.
However, City finally played their game in hand and were 1-0 winners on Tuesday night thanks to Erling Haaland’s decisive strike.
Now all teams are level on 25 games played each, the title race is certainly hotting up.
How do Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal rank currently?
If Aston Villa and Tottenham are considered out of the running, here is how the title race stands at the moment in the Premier League table.
- 1st – Liverpool – 57 points
- 2nd – Manchester City – 56 points
- 3rd – Arsenal – 55 points
City would be top now if it wasn’t for Saturday’s disappointing draw with Chelsea, the first points they have dropped since the turn of the year.
Yet, they are now just a point behind league leaders Liverpool and are in prime position to retake top spot.
But who has the tougher fixtures over the next five games? Can City overtake the top side in the coming weeks?
Man City’s next five fixtures
- Bournemouth (A) – February 24
- Manchester United (H) – March 3
- Liverpool (A) – March 10
- Brighton (A) – March 17
- Arsenal (H) – March 31
Liverpool’s next five fixtures
- Luton Town (H) – February 21
- Nottingham Forest (A) – March 2
- Manchester City (H) – March 10
- Everton (A) – March 17
- Brighton (H) – March 31
Arsenal’s next five fixtures
- Newcastle United (H) – February 24
- Sheffield United (A) – March 4
- Brentford (H) – March 9
- Chelsea (H) – March 16
- Manchester City (A) – March 31
Verdict: Can Man City overtake Liverpool and claim top spot?
It’s plain to see that City have the most difficult set of fixtures over the next five games. But it plays perfectly into their hands.
City have to face both Liverpool and Arsenal over the coming weeks, so they know that if they win all their remaining games this season they will be crowned champions once again.
It might be simple but it sure isn’t easy, especially with a derby against a resurgent Manchester United and long trips to Bournemouth and Brighton to deal with as well.
In contrast, Jurgen Klopp’s side have the easiest run as they play three of the league’s bottom five teams and three of their matches are at home – including against City where they have a great record.
The Gunners also have three home matches but they do have tricky encounters with Newcastle and London rivals Chelsea before facing City.
City may have the hardest run but you would back them to beat anyone in this sort of form and could well be back top by the end of March.
