Arsenal seek to ramp up heat on Man City in title race

Arsenal have a chance to crank up the pressure on Manchester City this weekend as they seek to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners can go six points clear of their in-form rivals if they beat Fulham on Saturday, two days before City face a tricky trip to Everton.

At the other end of the table, West Ham face Brentford while relegation rivals Tottenham take on Aston Villa.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the action:

Tight margins

Arsenal can pull well clear of Manchester City, at least for 48 hours, but they must re-discover their scoring touch in a season that could be decided by the tightest of margins.

Before the Gunners’ win against Newcastle last weekend, the top two were level on points and goal difference.

Arsenal know even if they win their four remaining games it may not be enough — they have failed to score more than one goal in any game since mid-March.

City, with a game in hand, have clicked into gear and are scoring much more freely than their rivals.

Former England defender Gary Neville believes Arsenal will have to be “wheelbarrowed” over the line if they are to win 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.

Spurs count cost of injuries

Just when Tottenham showed encouraging signs of life under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, their injury curse has struck again.

Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons suffered a serious knee injury in last week’s 1-0 win at relegated Wolves, while Dominic Solanke could miss the rest of the campaign with a hamstring issue.

The club’s injury list this season makes sobering reading, with long-term absentees including Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison and Wilson Odobert. Captain Cristian Romero is another recent victim.

“We can win the games with the players, not with the coaches,” said De Zerbi. “The coaches are important but the players are more important. But I want to be positive.”

Tottenham, who face a tricky match at Aston Villa this weekend, remain in the drop zone, trailing two points behind 17th-placed West Ham despite the first win of De Zerbi’s tenure.

Can Chelsea stop the rot?

Chelsea can still end the season on a high despite a horrific run of five successive Premier League defeats that led to Liam Rosenior’s recent sacking.

Marginally improved under interim boss Calum McFarlane, the Blues beat Leeds 1-0 last weekend to set up an FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Although they are languishing in eighth in the Premier League, Chelsea still have a slender chance of grabbing a Champions League spot as well.

If Villa finish fifth — their current position — and win the Europa League, the Champions League place they would earn by ending in that position would be passed down to the Premier League’s sixth-placed team.

However, if Villa finish fourth or above and win the Europa League, there would be no extra Champions League place for an English club.

As it stands, Brighton would be the team to benefit as they are in sixth place on 50 points.

But Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham are all within one or two points of the Seagulls, while Everton and Sunderland are also within striking distance.