Arsenal seek to open six-point gap as title race and relegation battle tighten

LONDON: Arsenal will look to increase the pressure on Manchester City this weekend as the Premier League leaders aim to move six points clear at the top with a win over Fulham on Saturday.

City, who are in strong form and still have a game in hand, travel to Everton two days later in what has been described as a difficult away fixture. The title contest remains finely balanced, with Arsenal aware that even winning their final four matches may still not be enough.

Fine margins in the title race

Before Arsenal’s victory over Newcastle last weekend, the top two sides were level on both points and goal difference. That underlined how little separates the teams as the season heads into its closing stretch.

Arsenal, however, need to recover their cutting edge in front of goal. The league leaders have not scored more than once in any match since mid-March, while City have found rhythm at the right time and have been scoring more freely.

Former England defender Gary Neville said Arsenal may have to grind their way to the finish if they are to secure their first Premier League title since 2004.

"They're not going to sail over the line -- it's going to be a real struggle. They're not going to all of a sudden hit form in this next couple of weeks", he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.

Tottenham hit by more injuries

At the other end of the table, Tottenham face another difficult test when they take on Aston Villa as they continue their fight to avoid relegation.

Spurs had shown signs of improvement under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, and last week’s 1-0 win at already relegated Wolves brought the first victory of his tenure. But the club has again been affected by injuries.

Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons suffered a serious knee injury in that match, while Dominic Solanke may miss the remainder of the season because of a hamstring problem. Tottenham’s lengthy injury list also includes Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison and Wilson Odobert, while captain Cristian Romero is another recent absentee.

De Zerbi said the availability of players would be crucial in the run-in.

"We can win the games with the players, not with the coaches", he said, adding "The coaches are important but the players are more important. But I want to be positive".

Tottenham remain in the drop zone and are two points behind 17th-placed West Ham despite that recent win. West Ham, meanwhile, are due to face Brentford.

Chelsea still have a route back into contention

Chelsea are also trying to salvage their season after a run of five straight Premier League defeats that resulted in Liam Rosenior’s dismissal.

The London club have shown slight improvement under interim manager Calum McFarlane and beat Leeds 1-0 last weekend to book a place in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Although Chelsea are eighth in the league, they still retain a slim possibility of qualifying for the Champions League. That scenario depends in part on Aston Villa’s finishing position and whether Villa win the Europa League.

If Villa finish fifth, which is their current position, and also lift the Europa League, the Champions League place attached to that finish would pass down to the Premier League side in sixth. But if Villa end the season fourth or higher and win the Europa League, there would be no additional Champions League place for an English club.

At present, Brighton would benefit because they are sixth on 50 points. Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham are all within one or two points of Brighton, while Everton and Sunderland also remain close enough to stay in the race.

With the title battle, the fight for European qualification and the struggle to avoid relegation all still unresolved, this weekend’s fixtures could have significant consequences across the table.