Chelsea's nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table looks increasingly insurmountable as the weeks go by. They welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime, knowing that victory will move them 12 points clear of their rivals and—with Chelsea's next six league matches against clubs ninth or below—put the title almost beyond doubt.
Below Antonio Conte's side, five teams are separated by a mere five points in the hunt for Champions League qualification. Manchester City, who beat West Ham United 4-0 on Wednesday evening, were the only side among the chasing pack to emerge with three points from the midweek round of games.
Tottenham Hotspur have drawn two consecutive league matches, Liverpool have not won any of their last four in this competition, Manchester United have drawn three consecutive Premier League matches and Arsenal lost 2-1 to Watford on Tuesday. None of the Champions League hopefuls can afford to extend their sequence of poor results.
Things have also livened up at the bottom end of the table. Across the last three rounds of fixtures, Swansea City, Crystal Palace and Hull City—each with new managers at the helm—have collectively won 13 points. The likes of Leicester City and Middlesbrough—who face United and Spurs, respectively—are close to being sucked into a relegation scrap.
Here is the full fixture list for Week 24, along with predictions and an in-depth look at our two picks: Chelsea vs. Arsenal and Leicester City vs. Manchester United.
Chelsea vs. Arsenal
The last time Arsenal beat their rivals at Stamford Bridge was October 2011, when a Robin van Persie hat-trick helped the Gunners to an extraordinary 5-3 win. A high-scoring game like this one is unlikely, given Chelsea's brilliant defensive record (16 goals conceded from 23 league games) and Arsenal's tepid performance against Watford in midweek.
Arsene Wenger's side typically fall apart around this time of year, and their morale-deflating loss on Tuesday could be the beginning of a familiar rough patch. As is so often the case, it appeared to be a mental tiredness that was their undoing, as Wenger alluded to in his post-match interview.
"It was obvious we lost duels and were not sharp enough," he said, per Shamoon Hafez for the BBC. "It looked more mentally that we were not ready for the challenges."
This mentality issue is likely to be exacerbated by Wenger's touchline ban. The Frenchman has two games remaining on his four-match suspension following a charge of misconduct for pushing fourth official Anthony Taylor.
The statistics only make things more ominous for the visitors. Arsenal have won just one of their last four away matches in the Premier League, while Chelsea have won each of their last eight at Stamford Bridge in the same competition.
The likelihood that Arsenal will take points is remote, although Alex Iwobi was in an optimistic mood on Twitter this week:
Chelsea employed very defensive tactics against Liverpool on Tuesday, using a Jose Mourinho-esque strategy to grind out the necessary result. We can expect a repeat of this model when possession-centric Arsenal travel to west London.
This should be a successful plan for the hosts. Arsenal like to attack largely through the middle of the pitch, where Chelsea are at their strongest. Their three-man defence, protected by N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, is virtually impenetrable from short-passing football that tries to weave through the centre.
When Liverpool attempted this, they were easily thwarted. Kante made an extraordinary 14 tackles on a quiet night for the Reds, according to WhoScored.com, to continue a brilliant season that was highlighted by Squawka on Twitter:
At the other end, it seems probable that Eden Hazard and Willian (or Pedro) will tear through Arsenal's underperforming midfield. Granit Xhaka's suspension, Mohamed Elneny's international commitments and injuries to Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey ensure that Francis Coquelin will be partnered by someone inexperienced on Saturday, possibly Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Their midfield flimsiness was key to Watford's triumph (Coquelin and Ramsey made a total of three tackles and zero interceptions in midweek, according to WhoScored.com) and should see Chelsea's inside forwards run riot.
It looks set to be another long and disappointing day for Gunners fans.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Arsenal
Leicester City vs. Manchester United
Jose Mourinho has once again resorted to moaning about officials after his side recorded their third consecutive Premier League draw against Hull City in midweek. Their 0-0 stalemate at Old Trafford makes the trip to Leicester particularly crucial, but Mourinho's post-match comments are unlikely to help United grab the three points.
"You know clearly that I am different," he said, per Jamie Jackson for the Guardian, after being told to sit down by officials on Wednesday evening. "I am different. The rules for me are different."
It would appear that cracks are beginning to show afresh, but this is nothing compared to the crisis developing for the champions. Leicester are now just two points above the drop zone following their 1-0 defeat to Burnley on Wednesday, and they will be looking nervously over their shoulder now that results are improving for so many of their rivals.
Their dreadful 2016-17 season was highlighted by OptaJoe on Twitter:
United should increase their misery on Sunday. The Red Devils have only been beaten once by Leicester since January 1998, when the Foxes came back from 3-1 down to win 5-3 at Old Trafford in September 2014. In 2015-16, both league matches between the two sides ended 1-1.
Leicester are on a run of four consecutive league games without scoring a goal and have netted just once in their past six in the Premier League. United are similarly goal-shy of late—netting twice in the last three in the league—but should be able to score against such a leaky defence.
The champions might just find themselves in the relegation zone by the end of the weekend.
Prediction: Leicester 0-3 Manchester United