With the Premier League title race reaching its climax, attention turns to the crucial remaining fixtures that will determine the destiny of the 2023–24 season.

As 20 teams gear up for the final sprint, analysis reveals intriguing insights into who holds the advantage and who faces an uphill battle in the pursuit of glory.

The race among the current top four contenders showcases a tight battle, highlighting the competitive nature of the league.

With just eight points separating table leader Liverpool, boasting 67 points, from Aston Villa, holding firm with 56 points, every match becomes pivotal in determining the ultimate outcome of the season.

In a season characterised by its unpredictability, the presence of game-in-hand fixtures has emerged as a crucial factor in the English Premier League standings.

Premier League title race outstanding games

Notably, while most teams are contending with one extra match to be played, Chelsea stands alone with the rare advantage of having two.

Among the clubs yet to fully capitalise on this opportunity are Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle, Brighton, Wolves, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Sheffield, all awaiting their respective additional matches to potentially shift the balance of power.

Currently, only Aston Villa, West Ham, Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, and Burnley have completed 30 games, providing them with a clearer picture of their standing as they navigate the final stretch of the season.

As the league approaches its climax, the significance of these remaining fixtures cannot be overstated, with every point potentially altering the trajectory of teams’ aspirations and determining their fate in the race for glory.

Last 10 Premier League winners

In the last ten seasons, Manchester City has won the Premier League title six times, Chelsea twice, and Liverpool and Leicester City have won it once each.

On Sunday, Liverpool beat Brighton to go top of the EPL table.

Manchester City failed to break down Arsenal as a highly-anticipated clash at the top of the Premier League failed to live up to the hype in a 0-0 draw at the Etihad on Sunday.

Liverpool seizes a crucial advantage with the most favourable remaining fixtures among title contenders.

Despite facing relatively tough schedules, all three contenders brace themselves for a nail-biting conclusion, hinting at twists and turns that could shape the final outcome of the season.

The run-in officially starts here, with the remaining fixtures set to decide who wins the 2023/24 Premier League title, who qualifies for Europe, and who avoids relegation.

So, with just nine matchweeks left, which teams have the “best” and “worst” fixtures?

PUNCH Online delves into the average points total of the remaining opponents for every team, unveiling insights into which clubs are poised for a late-season surge towards glory and which ones confront a formidable challenge to conclude the campaign on a high note.

According to data obtained from the Premier League website, the average points of the remaining opponents for Premier League teams vary significantly, offering insights into the challenges they may face in the run-in.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Newcastle has the most favourable average point of 33.5, followed closely by Everton at 34.2 and Brentford and Nottingham Forest sharing 35.4.

As the scale progresses, Burnley stands at 35.8, Fulham at 35.9, and Sheffield United at 37.0.

Manchester United also shares this average, indicating a moderate challenge ahead.

Moving up, Chelsea sits at 38.0, followed by Spurs at 38.8 and Liverpool at 38.9, showcasing a tougher road for these title contenders.

Further up, Bournemouth faces an average of 39.1 points, while Manchester City have 41.0 and Wolves have 41.5.

Arsenal, in pursuit of title aspirations, contends with an average of 42.3 points among its opponents.

West Ham and Luton share an average of 43.2, while Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Brighton face the toughest challenges with averages of 44.8, 44.9, and 45.1 points, respectively.

Title race fixtures club average

By implication, Newcastle United enjoys the easiest remaining schedule with an average of 33.5 points among their upcoming opponents, akin to facing a 14th-placed team in each match.

Conversely, Brighton & Hove Albion faces the toughest fixtures, with their opponents averaging 45.1 points, resembling matches against seventh-placed sides.

In the title race and before Sunday’s game, Liverpool enjoys the most favourable fixtures among the top three contenders, with their opponents averaging 38.9 points.

On the other hand, Arsenal face the toughest challenge, with their opponents averaging 42.3 points, slightly more daunting than those of third-placed Manchester City (41.0). 

Title race: Remaining fixtures

But interestingly, all three title contenders have tricky schedules.

While Liverpool have the “easiest,”  theirs only ranks 11th-best among the 20 Premier League teams, while Manchester City’s ranks 13th and Arsenal’s 15th.

Premier League title race

PUNCH Online reports that the 2023–24 Premier League marks the 32nd instalment of the prestigious league and the 125th season of top-flight English football.

Fixture details were unveiled on June 15, 2023.

The season’s run commenced on August 11, 2023, and the season is slated to culminate on May 19, 2024.

Whether the EPL winner will emerge before the season concludes remains to be seen in the coming weeks. If not, the ultimate decision will be made on May 19.

In recent times, Liverpool lost the 2014 league title to City in the last game of the season.

On Wednesday night, Arsenal host Luton at the Emirates Stadium and Manchester City host Aston Villa.

Liverpool, on the other hand, host Sheffield United on Thursday night.

[Punch]

Leicester reignited their bid for automatic promotion to the Premier League with a 3-1 win at home to Norwich on Monday.

Victory at the King Power Stadium meant the Foxes returned to the top of English football’s second-tier Championship, if merely for a few hours before promotion rivals Ipswich and Leeds are in action later in the day.

Goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Stephy Mavididi and Jamie Vardy enabled Leicester to complete a comeback after Gabriel Sara’s fourth goal in as many games gave Norwich the lead.

Leicester have topped the table for much of the season, but Monday’s success was just their third win in eight Championship games.

On Friday, Leicester City’s hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League suffered a fresh setback with a 1-0 loss away to Bristol City.

Only the top two clubs at the end of the regular season are guaranteed automatic promotion to the Premier League, with Leicester now a point ahead of second-placed Ipswich and two clear of Leeds, currently in third place.

“This was important, because we are in the final part of the season,” said Leicester manager Enzo Maresca.

“But then we started by conceding a goal, and 1-0 down from a corner, we needed to be mentally strong.

“But after that, the game was completely in our control, we dominated.”

He added: Probably in the last six games, we won one game and it was the one we didn’t deserve – Sunderland. We lost four games, and not one of them we deserved to lose.

“At the end, we are human beings – we have emotions so when we scored the last one with Jamie, the game was finished, so we were all happy and we enjoyed the moment.”

Defeat left Norwich in sixth position – still in contention to reach the post-season play-offs that will decide which club gets the third and final promotion spot.

It looked as if it might be a good day for the Canaries when Sara put them ahead from a corner in the 20th minute.

But Dewsbury-Hall’s first goal since January drew Leicester level 13 minutes later and from then on the Foxes started to get a grip on the game.

Mavididi made it 2-1 just after the hour mark with a fine curling shot into the far corner before former England striker Vardy, one of the stars of Leicester’s shock Premier League title triumph eight years ago, wrapped up the points in stoppage time with a powerful strike after Harry Winks’ initial effort was blocked.

AFP