Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea's crucial next five fixtures as Premier League title race heats up

Manchester City have some work to do if they want to force themselves back into contention for the Premier League title with Arsenal beginning to pull away

Manchester City have their work cut out this season if they want to regain the Premier League title. Arsenal have emerged as the clear favourites for this season's crown - their latest outing having seen them crush North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Eberechi Eze's hat-trick and Leandro Trossard's goal made it an afternoon to remember for Mikel Arteta's team. Meanwhile, Chelsea also had a successful weekend, claiming second place in the table after comfortably defeating newly promoted Burnley.

However, the same cannot be said for City, who encountered a minor setback over the weekend. Pep Guardiola's team suffered a 2-1 defeat by Newcastle at St James' Park.

They remain in third place but are now trailing by seven points. However, it's still early days and there are bound to be more twists and turns ahead.

Here's what lies ahead for each of the top three Premier League teams in the coming weeks:

Man City

Despite currently being on the back foot, City are more than capable of stringing together a series of victories - and considering their upcoming fixtures leading into the festive period, it would be unwise to bet against them.

Leeds, who are currently struggling, will be making their way to the Etihad Stadium next weekend, while City then face a journey to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.

Newly-promoted Sunderland will then make the trip to Manchester just a few days later. London pair Crystal Palace and West Ham will complete City's next five Premier League matches.

Man City's next five fixtures:.

Leeds (H) - Sat Nov 29

Fulham (A) - Tues Dec 2

Sunderland (H) - Sat Dec 6

Crystal Palace (A) - Sun Dec 14

West Ham (H) - Sat Dec 20

Arsenal

After their impressive win against Spurs, Arsenal face another significant challenge next weekend as they head to second-place Chelsea. If they manage to secure a victory in this match, then the Arsenal players might start entertaining thoughts of winning the title.

Just three days later, Arsenal will host Brentford at the Emirates Stadium. Their next task is a trip to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa and former manager Unai Emery.

Arsenal are set to face a struggling Wolves side in mid-December, before making their inaugural visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for a clash with Everton.

Arsenal's next five fixtures:.

Chelsea (A) - Sun 30 Nov

Brentford (H) - Wed 3 Dec

Aston Villa (A) - Sat 6 Dec

Wolves (H) - Sat 13 Dec

Everton (A) - Sat 20 Dec

Chelsea

Considering Arsenal's current form, it would be quite the statement from Chelsea if they manage to secure a win against Arsenal next weekend - and that's exactly what Blues manager Enzo Maresca will be aiming for. Following this, Chelsea will shift their focus to a match-up with Leeds at Elland Road for their first December fixture.

Another away game is on the cards after that, with Bournemouth scheduled to host the Blues the following weekend. Just a week before their encounter with Arsenal, Everton will once again play a part in the potential title race as they head to Stamford Bridge on 13 December.

After defeating City, Newcastle will also want to have their say as they welcome Chelsea to St James' Park just before Christmas.

Chelsea's next five fixtures:.

Arsenal (H) - Sun 30 Nov

Leeds (A) - Wed 3 Dec

Bournemouth (A) - Sat 6 Dec

Everton (H) - Sat 13 Dec

Newcastle (A) - Sat 20 Dec