Arsenal’s impressive 4-1 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday helped them establish a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
While the Gunners are well-placed to end their lengthy title drought, it is a little too early to suggest they are a banker bet to hold on to top spot.
The latest odds from football betting site Betway rates Arsenal as 1/2 shots to win the title, but their rivals will believe they can still be caught.
Chelsea have moved up to second place after winning at Burnley, while several other clubs are hot on the heels of the top two teams.
With that in mind, read on as we look at what is on the agenda for each of the current top ten teams before the end of the year, before assessing how the title race could develop.
Arsenal (1st) – 29 points
- Chelsea (A)
- Brentford (H)
- Aston Villa (A)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
- Everton (A)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
- Aston Villa (H)
Chelsea (2nd) – 23 points
- Arsenal (H)
- Leeds United (A)
- Bournemouth (A)
- Everton (H)
- Newcastle United (A)
- Bournemouth (H)
Manchester City (3rd) – 22 points
- Leeds United (H)
- Fulham (A)
- Sunderland (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
- West Ham United (H)
- Nottingham Forest (A)
Aston Villa (4th) – 21 points
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
- Arsenal (H)
- West Ham United (A)
- Manchester United (H)
- Chelsea (A)
- Arsenal (A)
Crystal Palace (5th) – 20 points
- Manchester United (H)
- Burnley (A)
- Fulham (A)
- Manchester City (H)
- Leeds United (A)
- Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Brighton & Hove Albion (6th) – 19 points
- Nottingham Forest (A)
- Aston Villa (H)
- West Ham United (H)
- Liverpool (A)
- Sunderland (H)
- Arsenal (A)
- West Ham United (A)
Sunderland (7th) – 19 points
- Bournemouth (H)
- Liverpool (A)
- Manchester City (A)
- Newcastle United (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
- Leeds United (H)
Bournemouth (8th) – 18 points
- Sunderland (A)
- Everton (H)
- Chelsea (H)
- Manchester United (A)
- Burnley (H)
- Brentford (A)
- Chelsea (A)
Tottenham Hotspur (9th) – 18 points
- Fulham (H)
- Newcastle United (A)
- Brentford (H)
- Nottingham Forest (A)
- Liverpool (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
Manchester United (10th) – 18 points
- Everton (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
- West Ham United (H)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
- Bournemouth (H)
- Aston Villa (A)
- Newcastle United (H)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
A visit to Chelsea and two games against Aston Villa will provide a stern examination of Arsenal’s title credentials over the next few weeks.
Enzo Maresca’s side are undoubtedly capable of causing the Gunners problems at Stamford Bridge and could feasibly close the gap to just three points this weekend.
Villa are also in a fine run of form and will fancy their chances of forcing their way into the title race by taking points off Arsenal in December.
While the rest of Arsenal’s upcoming schedule looks relatively favourable, they may not be as far in front of the chasing pack by the end of the year.
Maresca will be looking at Chelsea’s upcoming run of fixtures as genuine opportunity to demonstrate they are genuine title contenders.
Their trip to Newcastle United has the potential to be tricky, but the rest of their schedule should yield a healthy points tally.
Man City could narrow the gap at the top of the table over the next few weeks given that their upcoming schedule looks relatively easy.
Aside from their visit to Crystal Palace, you would be hard pressed to see where Pep Guardiola’s side will slip up between now and the end of the year.
Of the rest of the chasing pack, Villa and Manchester United look good bets to put pressure on the top three sides in the Premier League.
Villa have bounced back from a sticky start to the campaign to climb into the top four and have the ability to keep themselves there for the rest of the season.
The Red Devils also have a golden opportunity to build on their recent run of form by moving into contention for a top four finish over the next few weeks.
With five of their next eight games at Old Trafford and trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on the agenda, United should be in a good position by the end of the year.
Their trips to Palace and Villa are potential banana skins, yet United have nothing to fear from either team if they produce their best form.
Reigning champions Liverpool could also come back into the conversation if they start to produce their best form over the next few weeks.
However, they were woeful against Nottingham Forest last weekend and it would be a brave move to back them to challenge for a top four place.
Tottenham will also be hoping to halt their slide down the standings, but they face several tricky fixtures before the end of the year.
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