Premier League: Title, Champions League and relegation battles heat up as run-in begins

It's a bumper weekend of Premier League football on Sky Sports with SEVEN games live as the run-in begins.

The Premier League title race is on, with Man City revving up and injury-hit Arsenal seemingly stuttering. The chase for Champions League football - with qualification for five teams through the Premier League now confirmed - is tight and tense. And there's all to play for down at the bottom, as Tottenham hope Roberto De Zerbi can lead them away from a shock drop.

Here, we explain how this weekend will shape the narrative through the Premier League as we reach the business end of the season...

West Ham must show character again vs Wolves

"One lesson we've learned is we don't give up." That was Nuno's positive takeaway from West Ham's ultimately crushing penalty shootout FA Cup exit to Leeds on Sunday. There was no trip to Wembley, despite those dramatic two goals in injury time, but perhaps the fight Nuno's team showed when they looked down and out can galvanise his group as they try to salvage their Premier League status.

The possible returns of Crysencio Summerville, Callum Wilson and Jean-Clair Todibo could also add to optimism. But West Ham supporters with a glass-half-empty approach may also question the psychological damage of that Cup loss and how a Wolves side which has already beaten them this term appear to be in their best moment of the season.

It has been three-and-a-half weeks since Wolves last played, their 2-2 draw at Brentford. While their relegation to the Championship looks inevitable, boss Rob Edwards has set about raising standards, fitness levels and expectations - and has had plenty of time on the training ground over these past weeks to do just that in preparation for their Friday night trip to the London Stadium.

A win for the Hammers would pull them out of that drop zone and above Tottenham ahead of Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge. It's a massive opportunity to pile the pressure on their rivals. Just like in those final minutes against Leeds, West Ham have to show they are ready to fight again.
Peter Smith

Will Arsenal feel Man City PL pressure?

How much does Kai Havertz's stoppage-time winner at Sporting shift the mood in the Arsenal camp? Surely there would have been uncertainty after the Carabao Cup final defeat was followed by a FA Cup exit at Southampton on the same day Man City romped to victory over Liverpool. But it appears they can now go into a crunch weekend with confidence.

A tricky test at home to Bournemouth on Saturday is not ideal. The Cherries won at the Emirates Stadium last season amid two Arsenal Champions League knockout legs. But after Arsenal showed their quality at both ends in Portugal and with injured players returning to action - including potentially key man Bukayo Saka on Saturday - Mikel Arteta will be preaching positivity as the Premier League run-in ramps up.

A convincing win over Bournemouth would indicate his side have grown and have the mentality to shake off their recent blip and push on for major honours at the end of this season.

But they dare not open the door for Man City to close the gap at the top. With Arsenal playing first, it is up to them to set the tone - and Pep Guardiola's side need no invitation to go through the gears and enhance their aura as fast finishers.

They will target a statement result at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, regardless of what the Gunners do. City look to be coming to the boil at the right time once again and any Arsenal slip-up will increase talk of another title-race overhaul.

Ahead of Arsenal and City's upcoming showdown at the Etihad, the narrative leading into that blockbuster clash will be set this weekend.
Peter Smith

Rosenior and Chelsea need statement result against City

The 7-0 thrashing of League One bottom club Port Vale in the FA Cup was a timely boost for Chelsea and Liam Rosenior, given the four-game losing streak they'd been on before the tie and the tumultuous international break which saw the club post a record loss and Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella make unwanted headlines.

But the pressure and intensity comes right back on the Blues and their head coach this Sunday when a rejuvenated Man City come to the Bridge. Rosenior reckons his team have "come back stronger" after he figured out what needed fixing after their bad run before the international break. He will need to show he has the solutions this weekend.

If not, City - eager to build on their hammering of Liverpool in the Cup - have the capability to deal a big blow to Chelsea's top-five ambitions in the Premier League.

Adding to the difficulty of the challenge is that Chelsea will be without Fernandez once again as he serves the second of his two-game ban imposed by Rosenior and the club after seemingly discussing a potential move to Real Madrid this summer. In a midfield battle which will be key, his absence will be felt. But Rosenior - yet to have a big statement win on Chelsea's home patch - needs to find a way to a big result without him.
Peter Smith

Tight top-five race to open up?

Liverpool have the opportunity to ramp up the pressure on Chelsea in the race for a top-five finish when they host Fulham at Anfield on Saturday Night Football. With Manchester City set to visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the timing could work perfectly for the Reds to make ground on their rivals.

It feels like a defining weekend for Liverpool. A victory would strengthen their push for Champions League qualification and help quieten growing uncertainty around head coach Arne Slot. His side currently sits five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and just one point ahead of Chelsea, leaving little margin for error.

Their recent form has only intensified the scrutiny. Liverpool are winless in their last three league outings, losing to Wolves and Brighton, along with a draw against Tottenham and they were heavily beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup. The inconsistency of performances has tested patience among supporters, particularly with Xabi Alonso currently out of work and seen by some as a potential alternative.

Elsewhere, Manchester United will have a clearer understanding of the Champions League picture when they host rivals Leeds on Monday Night Football. By then, Aston Villa could have strengthened their position further if they secure a result away to Nottingham Forest.
David Richardson

Brentford and Everton looking to shift the odds in their favour

Ten per cent for a first time at Brentford. Seven per cent to end Everton's 20-year wait to return to Europe's elite.

Those are the chances Opta are currently giving to both teams to secure Champions League football ahead of their match-up on Saturday.

They are two outsiders in the race but could sink Chelsea as low as seventh should a winner emerge from their match-up at the Gtech Community Stadium. A situation which would shift dreams of European football into an achievable reality.

Brentford and Everton have exceeded all expectations under Keith Andrews and David Moyes in the current campaign, but both will be hoping to go one step further by breaking into the top five. A spot which now secures Champions League football after English clubs were handed an extra spot in the competition once again.

They have seven games remaining to do exactly that but with the race currently neck and neck between the two and Chelsea and Liverpool faltering ahead of them, it could all come down to who walks away with three points this weekend.
Patrick Rowe

De Zerbi and Spurs in the spotlight

And elsewhere in the relegation battle... It begins. With the spotlight beaming like never before on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Roberto De Zerbi has seven games to keep Spurs in the Premier League, and it begins with a test of mettle.

All eyes will be on his approach. How instant will his impact be? The training videos released by the club have shown promise but that's what those clips are designed to do.

The quick play, De Zerbi's presence on the training pitch and seemingly growing relationship with his players are all good but unfortunately for a club the size of Spurs, smiles, fun and games are not the points that they now so desperately need.

There is every chance that Spurs find themselves in the bottom three before they even kick a ball on Sunday. West Ham host bottom-side Wolves on Friday night and can establish a mental advantage.

Whichever way that goes, De Zerbi's ability to galvanise a side will be tested. He's notorious for his perhaps incendiary approach at times; however, the troublesome side of De Zerbi's Maverick will need taming for seven games.

It's a fresh slate for De Zerbi, against a Sunderland side that have lost three on the bounce at the Stadium of Light after previously going unbeaten at home. Will Spurs be able to handle the upcoming spotlight that begins in the North East?
William Bitibiri

Pressure back on Howe and Newcastle

By the time Newcastle step onto the pitch to face Crystal Palace on Sunday, it would’ve been exactly three weeks since the humiliating Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland. For a team that has struggled to cope with their schedule all season, that is a lot of time to sit and dwell on that performance.

Couple that with the 7-2 thrashing by Barcelona prior, the pressure on Eddie Howe is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The ball is very much in his court this weekend.

The Magpies take on a Crystal Palace side who have had their own issues at times and will surely be more focused on trying to bring home silverware in the Conference League. For Howe, there are no more distractions. In seasons gone by, that is when his side have performed their best. That has to be the case in this run-in.

A win could be enough to see them climb into the top 10 if Spurs beat Sunderland and Burnley pick up vital points for their slim survival hopes against Brighton. That’s not what fans would’ve hoped to fight for at this point in the campaign, but that’s the reality.

With seven games to go, Howe has to put a run together and make some headway up the table in order to leave himself in a less vulnerable position come season’s end.
Callum Bishop