Man City's five crunch fixtures that can decide Premier League title race with Arsenal

Manchester City are battling Arsenal for the Premier League title and have several key fixtures ahead

Manchester City still have work to do if they are to leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League title race. City are five points behind the Gunners after the weekend’s results, with yet more matches to play in midweek.

Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Leeds United over the weekend, which temporarily closed the gap to two points before Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Sunday saw their five-point advantage return.

City will now prepare to face Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, with the game kicking off at the same time as Arsenal take on Brighton.

There are now just 10 fixtures left to play in the Premier League this season for City, and some of them are certainly standing out above the rest.

Here, the Manchester Evening News takes a look at some of City’s most important Premier League fixtures left to play this season.

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West Ham (A) - March 14

City may be expected to get all three points when they face West Ham later this month, but this game falls between two huge games in the Champions League.

Guardiola and Co. will take on Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League, with the home and away legs being played either side of the clash against the Hammers.

While City would be forgiven for putting the majority of their focus on the double header against Madrid, they will need to be mindful of avoiding dropping points on their trip to the London Stadium.

Crystal Palace (H) - TBA

City still have a game in hand over Arsenal - their home clash against Crystal Palace, which was originally due to be played the same weekend as the Carabao Cup final.

The new date for the fixture is yet to be announced, and when it does it could have a major impact on the schedule that City will face.

As a result, depending on whether the fixture falls, the clash against Palace could have ever greater significance.

Chelsea (A) - April 11

City vs Chelsea is often an entertaining fixture, but Guardiola will want this to be a successful one when they travel to Stamford Bridge next month.

City were held to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in January when Chelsea had interim manager Calum McFarlane in charge for the game at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola will be hoping that City’s fortunes change for this game, especially with the title race expected to be entering its most defining weeks of the season.

Arsenal (H) - April 18

City’s clash against Arsenal next month could well be a title decider for both clubs, depending on how results go between now and April 18.

If City win their game in hand and results for both clubs remain the same by this point, a victory over Arsenal could see Guardiola and Co. climb to the top of the table.

There are nine points up for grabs for City and Arsenal between now and when they meet at the Etihad Stadium next month, potentially more if the rearranged game against Palace is played before this fixture.

All City can do is keep winning games and hope that Arsenal drops points over the next few weeks. If the results continue, then the clash at the Etihad next month could truly be a title decider.

Aston Villa (H) - May 24

City will host Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on the final day of the season at the end of May.

By this point, the title could be decided one way or another, but if not then this could be City’s most important match of the season.

If the title is still undecided by the time kick-off arrives on May 24, then a victory for City go a long way to clinching the title for Guardiola’s team.

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