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Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa lead the way in the Premier League title race this season.
Manchester City and Arsenal are separated by just two points as December reaches its conclusion and 2026 begins to loom large for both clubs. At one stage, it seemed this marathon was going to be won at a canter by the Gunners after their impressive start to the season.
However, injuries for Mikel Arteta's side have started to derail them slightly and wins are starting to become a lot trickier. As for City, while they have injury issues to contend with, they are starting to move through the gears and have Arsenal firmly in their sights.
The two clubs look set to battle it out for the title this season, albeit Aston Villa will have something to say about that. Unai Emery's side beat Arsenal recently and are just a point behind City currently and will not be underestimated.
MEN Sport have taken a look at how the next five fixtures in the Premier League stack up for the title contenders.
City's next five fixtures
Nottingham Forest (A) - December 27
Sunderland (A) - New Year's Day
Chelsea (H) - January 4
Brighton (H) - January 7
Manchester United (A) - January 17
MEN Sport's verdict: The old cliché is there are no easy games in the Premier League and so these next five matches prove for the Blues. Of course, the clashes with Chelsea and United stand out as being tough games but Sean Dyche has managed to get Forest playing well after the Ange Postecoglou experiment failed. Sunderland are no pushovers while Brighton are never easy. This will be a big test of the Blues' winning run.
Arsenal's next five fixtures
Brighton (H) - December 27
Aston Villa (H) - December 30
Bournemouth (A) - January 3
Liverpool (H) - January 8
Nottingham Forest (A) - January 17
MEN Sport's verdict: We mentioned City's run but Arsenal's isn't much easier. Like the Blues, they have to face Brighton at home and Forest away - two tough challenges. That Villa home game will be huge for Arsenal, because if they win that they could give themselves a big confidence boost. Bournemouth will provide a tricky test while Liverpool are never to be underestimated, so this fixture run will stretch the Gunners' depleted squad.
Aston Villa's next five fixtures
Chelsea (A) - December 27
Arsenal (A) - December 30
Nottingham Forest (H) - January 3
Crystal Palace (A) - January 7
Everton (H) - January 18
MEN Sport's verdict: If Villa manage to survive trips to Chelsea and Arsenal before New Year's Day, Emery will likely feel his team are in this title race. That is the toughest run of fixtures before Christmas that Villa could have asked for. Following that, Villa have a run of three games which they hope will result in nine points. Palace is a test but it feels like their squad is starting to struggle with the demands of Europe so Villa will feel confident heading into that game.
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