The Premier League never fails to amaze the fans with its quality of football and breathtaking Premier League title races. And the 2023-2024 season has been no different. We are into match week 30 of the season and still, three teams are in the hunt to lift the title.
League leaders Liverpool have a two-point lead over Arsenal in the second place. While Manchester City sits in third place, just a point behind the Gunners. With just two months left until the season’s conclusion, we have an intriguing Premier League title race to look forward to.
Which team has the most favorable remaining fixtures?
The remaining fixtures for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are as follows:
| Liverpool | Arsenal | Manchester City |
| Sheffield United (H) | Luton (H) | Aston Villa (H) |
| Manchester United (A) | Brighton (A) | Crystal Palace (A) |
| Crystal Palace (H) | Aston Villa (H) | Luton (H) |
| Fulham (A) | Wolves (A) | Brighton (A) |
| Everton (A) | Chelsea (H) | Nottingham Forest (A) |
| West Ham (A) | Tottenham (A) | Wolves (H) |
| Tottenham (H) | Bournemouth (H) | Fulham (A) |
| Aston Villa (A) | Manchester United (A) | West Ham (H) |
| Wolves (H) | Everton (H) | Tottenham (A) |
Comparatively, Arsenal seems to have got a tougher run in fixtures than Liverpool and Manchester City. All three sides have five matches remaining against the teams from the top half of the Premier League table. Unfortunately, Arsenal plays four of these matches away from home. Liverpool faces two of those games at Anfield, while Manchester City plays three of those games at their home.
Injury issues can shift the momentum in the Premier League title race
In football titles are not won by the 11 men on the field, instead you need at least 16 fit-outfield players to have a decent chance of lifting the title. Injuries to two or three crucial first-team players of the squad can hamper your title charge.
So, Klopp, Pep, and Arteta must manage the game time of their players at such a crucial stage of the season to prevent the occurrence of any season-ending injuries. Arsenal and Manchester City have managed to reach the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, while the Reds will also be featuring in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League.
Hence the managers will have to make sure that they rotate their players well and do not overburden them in search of domestic and continental glory. Liverpool and City have already had to deal with a fair share of injuries so far.
As things stand, Liverpool has seven first-team players out injured, so Klopp has had to rely on his academy graduates to make up the numbers for the match-day squad. And to everyone’s amazement, these young players have played tremendously for the Reds and have been vital in securing victories for the Merseyside club over the last couple of months.
Klopp would be wary of the fact that it will be difficult for these youngsters to maintain such high standards for a long period as they are still young. Hence, he would be hoping to get the services back of his injured players as soon as possible. If that is the case, then we can see a resurgence in the Reds’ title push.
Manchester City also have two key first-team players sidelined due to injuries. Both Kyle Walker and John Stones are expected to be out for a while after picking up injuries during the international break. This could prove to be a pivotal moment in City’s title charge as both these players have been a crucial part of City’s defense over the last few years. These injuries are a hindrance in the Premier League Title race.
Which team has the biggest motivation for lifting the title?
There is no bigger reward in the Premier League than lifting the title at the end of the season in May. Hence, each club is motivated from the first game and aspires to achieve that feat. But this time around all three title contenders have an extra bit of motivation as the Premier League title race heats up.
As far as the Gunners are concerned, their biggest motivation is the fact that they last won the league 20 years ago. Also, the heartbreak from last season still lives fresh in the minds of the Arsenal faithful. The Gunners were almost destined to be crowned champions last season, but they bottled the title. City was able to overcome an eight-point deficit and eventually won the league with a five-point lead over Arsenal.
Manchester City’s motivation behind claiming the title is to achieve a feat that has never been achieved by any English club. That is to win the Premier League title for the fourth time in consecutive seasons. Pep Guardiola can use this desire to bring the best out of his players as we approach the business end of the season.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s motivation has an emotional element associated with it. Jurgen Klopp is set to step down from his managerial role at the end of the current season. So, he and the players are going to be determined to ensure that they finish the season on a high note by claiming Premier League glory.
The German has completely changed the stature of this football club since taking charge in 2015. With almost two months left in his managerial stint, we might see the best from him and his side.
This is surely the most invigorating Premier League title race that we have had over the last decade or so. Having three title contenders at this stage of the season is quite remarkable. With less than two months left in the season, each club faces different challenges making it difficult to predict the rightful winner. Hence, it seems this season’s title race is going to go down to the wire.
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