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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
So, with just nine Matchweeks left, which teams have the "best" and "worst" fixtures?
We've looked at the average points total of EVERY team's remaining opponents to find out who has the greatest chance of a late-season surge to glory, and which sides face a tough task to end the campaign on a high.
Average points of remaining opponents
| Team | Average points |
|---|---|
| Newcastle | 33.5 |
| Everton | 34.2 |
| Brentford | 35.4 |
| Nott'm Forest | 35.4 |
| Burnley | 35.8 |
| Fulham | 35.9 |
| Sheff Utd | 37.0 |
| Man Utd | 37.0 |
| Chelsea | 38.0 |
| Spurs | 38.8 |
| Liverpool | 38.9 |
| Bournemouth | 39.1 |
| Man City | 41.0 |
| Wolves | 41.5 |
| Arsenal | 42.3 |
| West Ham | 43.2 |
| Luton | 43.2 |
| Aston Villa | 44.8 |
| Crystal Palace | 44.9 |
| Brighton | 45.1 |
Newcastle United have on paper the "easiest" remaining schedule. Their 10 opponents have an average of 33.5 points won between them this season. That's the equivalent of Newcastle facing a 14th-placed team in every match they have left.
Conversely, Brighton & Hove Albion have the hardest fixtures. Their remaining opponents average 45.1 points, which is the equivalent of the Seagulls facing a seventh-placed side.
The title race
In terms of the title race, second-placed Liverpool have the best fixtures from which to profit. Their opponents average 38.9 points.
Leaders Arsenal have the toughest fixtures, with their opponents averaging 42.3 points, marginally more than third-placed Manchester City (41.0).
Title race: Remaining fixtures
| Matchweek | Arsenal | Liverpool | Man City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Man City (A) | Brighton (H) | Arsenal (H) |
| 31 | Luton (H) | Sheff Utd (H) | Aston Villa (H) |
| 32 | Brighton (A) | Man Utd (A) | Crystal Palace (A) |
| 33 | Aston Villa (H) | Crystal Palace (H) | Luton (H) |
| 34 | Wolves (A), Chelsea (H) | Fulham (A), Everton (A) | Brighton (A) |
| 35 | Spurs (A) | West Ham (A) | Nott'm Forest (A) |
| 36 | Bournemouth (H) | Spurs (H) | Wolves (H) |
| 37 | Man Utd (A) | Aston Villa (A) | Fulham (A) |
| 38 | Everton (H) | Wolves (H) | West Ham (H) |
| TBC | - | - | Spurs (A) |
| Ave. points | 42.3 | 38.9 | 41.0 |
But interestingly, all three title contenders have tricky schedules.
While Liverpool have the "easiest", theirs only ranks the 11th-best among the 20 Premier League teams, while Man City's ranks 13th and Arsenal's 15th.
That suggests there are plenty more twists and turns to come in the title race, and sets things up beautifully for Sunday's mouthwatering match between Man City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
Race for fourth
Aston Villa are in fourth position heading into Matchweek 30 but the odds are not necessarily in their favour.
Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur are only three points behind and have a match in hand, as do Manchester United, who are nine points behind Villa.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
But Villa have by FAR the most difficult schedule. They travel to Man City and Arsenal, and have home matches against Liverpool and Chelsea.
Villa's remaining opponents average out at 44.8 points, the third-hardest among all Premier League teams.
Spurs also have to face all three title contenders but two of those matches are at home, while they also play all of the bottom four.
Man Utd have on paper the best fixtures of the three teams, with their opponents averaging 37 points, but the Red Devils may have left themselves too much to do.
Top-four race: Remaining fixtures
| MW | Aston Villa | Spurs | Man Utd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Wolves (H) | Luton (H) | Brentford (A) |
| 31 | Man City (A) | West Ham (A) | Chelsea (A) |
| 32 | Brentford (H) | Nott'm Forest (H) | Liverpool (H) |
| 33 | Arsenal (A) | Newcastle (A) | Bournemouth (A) |
| 34 | Bournemouth (H) | Sheff Utd (H) | |
| 35 | Chelsea (H) | Arsenal (H) | Burnley (H) |
| 36 | Brighton (A) | Liverpool (A) | Crystal Palace (A) |
| 37 | Liverpool (H) | Burnley (H) | Arsenal (H) |
| 38 | Crystal Palace (A) | Sheff Utd (A) | Brighton (A) |
| TBC | - | Chelsea (A), Man City (H) | Newcastle (H) |
| Ave. points | 44.8 | 38.8 | 37.0 |
All three teams will be keeping a close eye on this season's remaining European matches, which will determine whether fifth place will be enough to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.
Villa can themselves have a big say on that given they are in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, facing Lille next month in a two-legged tie played either side of their trip to Arsenal, which is just another factor that could impact both the title and top-four races.
Race for Europa/Conference League
A number of other teams have their own European aspirations, with just six points between seventh-placed West Ham United and 12th-placed Fulham.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
Of these teams, Newcastle have the best fixtures, their opponents averaging 33.5 points, followed by Fulham (35.9), Chelsea (38.0), Wolverhampton Wanderers (41.5), West Ham (43.2) and Brighton (45.1).
So, interestingly, the teams in pole position to finish highest - West Ham, Brighton and Wolves - all have tougher schedules than the teams attempting to leapfrog them.
Remaining fixtures*
| MW | West Ham | Brighton | Wolves | Newcastle | Chelsea | Fulham |
| 30 | NEW (A) | LIV (A) | AVL (A) | WHU (H) | BUR (H) | SHU (A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | TOT (H) | BRE (A) | BUR (A) | EVE (H) | MUN (H) | NFO (A) |
| 32 | WOL (A) | ARS (H) | WHU (H) | FUL (A) | SHU (A) | NEW (H) |
| 33 | FUL (H) | BUR (A) | NFO (A) | TOT (H) | EVE (H) | WHU (A) |
| 34 | CRY (A) | MCI (H) | ARS (H), BOU (H) | CRY (A) | ARS (A) | LIV (H) |
| 35 | LIV (H) | BOU (A) | LUT (H) | SHU (H) | AVL (A) | CRY (H) |
| 36 | CHE (A) | AVL (H) | MCI (A) | BUR (A) | WHU (H) | BRE (A) |
| 37 | LUT (H) | NEW (A) | CRY (H) | BHA (H) | NFO (A) | MCI (H) |
| 38 | MCI (A) | MUN (H) | LIV (A) | BRE (A) | BOU (H) | LUT (A) |
| TBC | - | CHE (H) | - | MUN (A) | TOT (H), BHA (A) | - |
| Ave. points | 43.2 | 45.1 | 41.5 | 33.5 | 38.0 | 35.9 |
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The relegation battle
There is hope for all three teams occupying the relegation zone heading into Matchweek 30.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
Nottingham Forest, only a point from safety as things stand, have the fourth-best schedule of all Premier League clubs. Their opponents average 35.4 points won.
Burnley, in 19th place, have the fifth-best (35.8), while bottom-placed Sheffield United have the seventh-best (37.0).
Those three sides will also draw hope from the fact that 17th-placed Luton Town have an extremely tough fixture run, ranking the fourth-hardest in the Premier League (43.2).
Relegation fight: Remaining fixtures*
| MW | Brentford | Everton | Luton | Nott'm Forest | Burnley | Sheff Utd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | MUN (H) | BOU (A) | TOT (A) | CRY (H) | CHE (A) | FUL (H) |
| 31 | BHA (H) | NEW (A) | ARS (A) | FUL (H) | WOL (H) | LIV (A) |
| 32 | AVL (A) | BUR (H) | BOU (H) | TOT (A) | EVE (A) | CHE (H) |
| 33 | SHU (H) | CHE (A) | MCI (A) | WOL (H) | BHA (H) | BRE (A) |
| 34 | LUT (A) | NFO (H), LIV (H) | BRE (H) | EVE (A) | SHU (A) | BUR (H), MUN (A) |
| 35 | EVE (A) | BRE (H) | WOL (A) | MCI (H) | MUN (A) | NEW (A) |
| 36 | FUL (H) | LUT (A) | EVE (H) | SHU (A) | NEW (H) | NFO (H) |
| 37 | BOU (A) | SHU (H) | WHU (A) | CHE (H) | TOT (A) | EVE (A) |
| 38 | NEW (H) | ARS (A) | FUL (H) | BUR (A) | NFO (H) | TOT (H) |
| TBC | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ave. points | 35.4 | 34.2 | 43.2 | 35.4 | 35.8 | 37.0 |
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However, the teams in 15th and 16th, Brentford and Everton, have the third and second-best respectively of all clubs. Brentford's opponents average 35.4 points and Everton's come in at 34.2 points.
Crystal Palace have a far tougher schedule - the second-hardest of all 20 clubs - but the 14th-placed Eagles are a healthy eight points above the drop zone.
That means Sheff Utd, Burnley and Forest will look to take advantage of The Run In and hope that 17th-placed Luton slip up during theirs.