EPL TITLE RACE: TOP 3’S NEXT FIVE MATCHES
There are three teams in the Premier League title race and the next five rounds of fixtures will be crucial for leaders Liverpool, defending champions Manchester City and in-form Arsenal
The Premier League title race is well and truly on – and it’s a three-horse one, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal fighting it out at the top.
City have been dominant in recent years, winning five of the past six titles, but have often had a close rival, with both Liverpool and the Gunners running them close in different seasons. Arsenal ended up finishing five points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Treble-winners in 2022/23, but they are maintaining pace this time around.
They are in supreme form at the moment and laid waste to Championship-bound Sheffield United on Monday night, smashing them 6-0 to match Liverpool and City’s wins over the weekend. They have now won seven Premier League games in succession by an aggregate scoreline of 31-3.
Arsenal’s fantastic run means they have scored the most goals in the Premier League (68) and conceded the fewest (23). But they still trail both Liverpool and Man City. After 27 games, the Reds lead the way on 63 points, one ahead of City on 62, with the Gunners on 61.
It means there could be a nerve-wracking run-in for fans, but a tantalising prospect for neutrals. Here are the next fixtures on the horizon for the champions to be.
LIVERPOOL
Man City (h) — Sunday, March 10
Brighton (h) — Sunday, March 31 Sheffield United (h) — Thursday, April 4 Manchester United (a) — Sunday, April 7 Crystal Palace (h) — Sunday, April 14 Jurgen Klopp ’s side have a huge fixture coming up this weekend against City. They have remarkably found a way to keep winning of late, despite being ravaged by injury and playing in all the competitions. Their dramatic 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on the weekend was controversial, but showed just how good they are at going until
the end and grabbing points at the death.
The Europa League returns for Liverpool this week, with two legs against Sparta Prague upcoming on March 7 and 14, while they will also play Manchester United in the FA Cup on March 17. The matches will keep coming thick and fast — and they know their opponents won’t slow down.
MAN CITY
Liverpool (a) — Sunday, March 10 Arsenal (h) — Sunday, March 31 Aston Villa (h) — Wednesday, April 3
Crystal Palace (a) — Saturday, April 6 Luton Town (h) — Saturday, April 13 A trip to Anfield awaits. Win that and City will hit the front, where they have proven to be reliable and dominant frontrunners. At the end of March, after an FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle, will be another tough game against Arsenal.
A trio of tough matches against the three best other teams in the league is then completed by a match against fourth-placed Aston Villa. Things get easier in April, with Palace and Luton, but by then their season could already have been defined.
ARSENAL
Brentford (h) — Saturday, March 9 Manchester City (a) — Sunday, March 31 Luton Town (h) — Wednesday, April 3 Brighton (a) — Saturday, April 6
Aston Villa (h) — Saturday, April 13
With Liverpool and City not playing until Sunday, Arsenal can go top of the league for the first time since Christmas with a win over Brentford on Saturday. Last season the wheels fell off after being beaten 3-1 by City in February. They cannot afford a repeat when they play at the end of March — Mirror.