Top Premier League matches for the title race
The 2023-24 Premier League season looks set to provide the most entertaining, nail-biting title race for many years.
Going into the final five weeks of the campaign and three teams still harbour very real hopes of being crowned champions, each with different motivations.
Manchester City are looking to become the first club to ever win four consecutive English titles, although any championship win for the Citizens would take place with 115 charges of breaking the league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) hanging over their heads.
Liverpool will be desperate to give Jurgen Klopp the perfect sendoff from Anfield. The Reds already have the Carabao Cup in the bag and should they win the Premier League and the Europa League, it would complete a treble for the popular German manager in his final season in England.
Arsenal meanwhile have not won a Premier League title since their Invincibles went the entire 2003-04 campaign unbeaten. Mikel Arteta will be the toast of the Emirates if he can end the Gunners’ 20 year wait to be champions of England.
In a sign of just how close the Premier League title race is, betting markets are struggling to separate the contenders. Those looking to place a sports bet on the outcome will find City as marginal favourites, just ahead of Arsenal with Liverpool considered the outsiders – but not by much.
The close-knit odds show that it is almost too unpredictable to call. With that in mind, here are four matches involving the sides fighting at the top of the table which could decide the Premier League 2023-24 title race.
Everton v Liverpool, April 24th
If Liverpool are to win the 2023-24 Premier League title, they will have to do it the hard way with four of their final six matches away from home.
The standout fixture amongst those is when Klopp takes charge of his final Merseyside Derby across the other side of Stanley Park against Everton.
It has been a miserable campaign for the Toffees. Two separate points deductions for PSR breaches have left them firmly embroiled in the relegation battle, a position not helped by a 14 game winless run between the middle of December and start of April.
Everton not only need points of their own to keep themselves in the Premier League, but they would dearly love to prevent the fairy tale of a Liverpool title win in Klopp’s last season.
The Reds could be set for a sticky evening against a Toffees side fighting for their lives under the Goodison Park lights on April 24th.
Brighton v Manchester City, April 25th
City have the most favourable run-in of the three contenders, explaining why they are favourites. They also have the deepest squad, plenty of experience in getting over the line and a tendency to hit relentless winning form at just the right time.
Take last season, for example. Pep Guardiola’s side won 12 successive Premier League games to secure their third successive title.
That run was ended away at Brighton & Hove Albion, when the Seagulls held City to a 1-1 draw to confirm their own qualification for the Europa League for the first time.
A horrendous injury list means Brighton have not hit the same heights this season. On their day though, the Albion can give any team in England a run for their money.
Of City’s remaining fixtures, their trip to the Amex Stadium on April 25th looks like one of only two potential banana skins, coming as it does after must-win Champions League and FA Cup ties against Real Madrid and Chelsea respectively.
Spurs v Arsenal, April 28th
Remember when Spurs made such a flying start to life through the first three months of Ange Postecoglou’s reign that they were being labelled dark horses?
Seems like a long time ago now. But Spurs might yet have a major say in the 2023-24 Premier League title race as they still have to play both City and Arsenal.
The Gunners make the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 28th for what is shaping up to be the most important North London Derbies for years.
Arsenal famously confirmed their title win in the Invincibles season with victory at White Hart Lane. Two decades on, Spurs will be hoping the boot is on the other foot and they can derail their hated rivals bid to become champions.
Spurs v Manchester City, TBC
The other potential banana skin standing in City’s way is their trip to Spurs. Originally scheduled for the weekend of April 20th, it has required rearranging due to the Citizen’s FA Cup semi final with Chelsea.
City’s continued participation in the Champions League has made finding a new date difficult. A best guess is Guardiola and his players will head to Tottenham for an evening fixture in the last week of the campaign, giving it the potential to be the defining match in the 2023-24 Premier League title race.
That could be bad news for City. Spurs have been something of a bogey team for them in recent seasons, so much so that the Citizens have never scored a Premier League goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since it opened in 2019.
We could end up with the surreal scenario whereby 60,000 Spurs fans are secretly hoping their side lose against City if it means Arsenal do not win the championship. Which kind of sums up this crazy, chaotic 2023-24 Premier League season and title race.
