Yet, there is very little room for error for Manchester City as they aim to win their sixth championship in the last six seasons.
On paper, Pep Guardiola’s team has a slightly easier run-in than Arsenal, but they also have to play Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and Sheffield United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
The city has to beat Liverpool in the league for the first time in two years if they want to keep up with Arsenal.
Liverpool is now in sixth place in the league, but Jurgen Klopp’s team is still holding out hope that they can salvage a disappointing season by making it into the top four.
Erling Haaland was unable to play for Norway in their most recent international matches due to a groyne ailment and will likely not be available for City’s match against Liverpool.
With nine teams still in contention for a spot in the league’s top division, the struggle to stay up seems to be more intense than ever.
There is just a four-point gap between the team in last place, Southampton, and the team in 12th position, Crystal Palace.
After failing to win a single game in 2023, Palace fired Patrick Vieira and reappointed Roy Hodgson as their manager.
Hodgson, a veteran manager of England’s national team, will lead the club for the first time on Saturday when they take on Leicester, another team that has struggled this season.
Hodgson, who was 75 years old at the time, remarked, “I know that my birth certificate says that I am old enough to retire, but the way that I feel doesn’t tell me that.”
Bournemouth, West Ham, and Southampton are now in the bottom three of the Premier League table, but they are just three points below 13th-placed Wolves.
The manager of the Wolves, Julen Lopetegui, has encouraged his squad to relish the tough struggle.
“Participating in competitions like this always brings a smile to my face. It’s healthy to be put under this kind of strain,” Lopetegui said in a statement as he looked forward to the game against Nottingham Forest, who are currently in a difficult position.
In a fight for survival that seemed destined to be decided right up to the last second, Leeds and Everton are also not safe.
