Arsenal enter the final furlong of the Premier League title race with a clash against Leeds on Saturday, aiming to be crowned champions for the first time in 19 years. With ten games left, they sit in pole position after six successive victories have given them an eight‑point lead over second‑placed Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s side have played one more game than the champions and still have to travel to Manchester to face Pep Guardiola’s team on April 26, but the destiny of the title is firmly in their grasp. Few expected Arsenal to be so close to glory after missing the top four last season. Arteta has worked wonders with a humble squad lacking superstars but full of team‑first workaholics who embrace his vision of a close‑knit group. “We have the right level of competition and cooperation because they really want to help each other, but they have to challenge each other as well,” Artura said ahead of Leeds’ visit. “The secret is probably the unity and togetherness that they have between them. They love to spend time with each other, they love to play with each other. That’s very powerful.”
Manchester City are refusing to surrender their crown without a fight, having won their past six games in all competitions and scoring a combined 13 goals in recent matches against Leipzig and Burnley. Yet there is little margin for error in City’s bid for a fifth title in six seasons. On paper, Guardiola’s men have a slightly easier run‑in than Arsenal, but they also face the distractions of a Champions League quarter‑final against Bayern Munich and an FA Cup semi‑final against Sheffield United. To stay in touch with Arsenal, City must beat sixth‑placed Liverpool in the league for the first time in two years—Jurgen Klopp’s side still harbour hopes of salvaging a dismal season by sneaking into the top four. City may have to face Liverpool without star striker Erling Haaland, who missed Norway’s recent internationals with a groin injury.
The battle to avoid relegation looks tighter than ever, with nine clubs fighting for survival. Only four points separate bottom‑of‑the‑table Southampton and 12th‑placed Crystal Palace. Palace, after failing to win a single match in 2023, sacked Patrick Vieira and re‑appointed Roy Hodgson, who takes charge for the first time against fellow strugglers Leicester on Saturday. “I know my birth certificate tells me I am old enough to retire but the way I feel doesn’t tell me that,” said the 75‑year‑old Hodgson. Bournemouth and West Ham sit in the bottom three alongside Southampton but are only three points behind 13th‑placed Wolves, whose manager Julen Lopetegui urged his team to embrace the tense battle. “It’s a pleasure to play these kinds of matches. To feel this pressure is a good thing,” he said ahead of the clash with struggling Nottingham Forest. Leeds and Everton are also far from safe in a survival race that looks certain to go down to the wire.
**Fixtures (GMT unless stated)**
Saturday: Manchester City v Liverpool (11:30), Arsenal v Leeds, Bournemouth v Fulham, Brighton v Brentford, Crystal Palace v Leicester, Nottingham Forest v Wolves, Chelsea v Aston Villa (16:30)
Sunday: West Ham v Southampton (13:00), Newcastle v Manchester United (15:30)
Monday: Everton v Tottenham (19:00)
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