Premier League: Arsenal aim to turn up the pressure on Manchester City in championship battle

Arsenal have the opportunity to increase the pressure on Manchester City this weekend, as they aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League, potentially going six points clear of their in-form rivals if they secure a win against Fulham on Saturday.

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This comes two days before City face a challenging trip to Everton, while at the other end of the table, West Ham will face Brentford and relegation rivals Tottenham will take on Aston Villa.

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Arsenal can pull well clear of Manchester City for 48 hours, but they must re-discover their scoring touch in a season that could be decided by very tight margins, having failed to score more than one goal in any game since mid-March.

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Before the Gunners' win against Newcastle last weekend, the top two were level on points and goal difference, highlighting the narrow gap between the teams.

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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, stating that they will not sail over the line and it will be a real struggle.

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Neville expressed his views on The Gary Neville Podcast, saying that Arsenal are not going to hit form in the next couple of weeks, making their title bid even more challenging.

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Tottenham's injury curse has struck again, with Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons suffering a serious knee injury in last week's 1-0 win at relegated Wolves, and Dominic Solanke potentially missing the rest of the campaign with a hamstring issue.

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The club's injury list this season is extensive, including long-term absentees such as Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, and Wilson Odobert, with Captain Cristian Romero being another recent victim.

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Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi said that the coaches are important but the players are more important, and he wants to be positive despite the challenges his team is facing, including a tough match at Aston Villa this weekend.

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Tottenham remains in the drop zone, trailing two points behind 17th-placed West Ham, despite securing the first win of De Zerbi's tenure.

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Chelsea can still end the season on a high note, despite a horrific run of five successive Premier League defeats that led to Liam Rosenior's recent sacking, and they have shown marginal improvement under interim boss Calum McFarlane.

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The Blues beat Leeds 1-0 last weekend to set up an FA Cup final against Manchester City, and they still have a slender chance of grabbing a Champions League spot, depending on the outcome of other teams' matches.

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If Villa finishes fifth and wins the Europa League, the Champions League place they would earn would be passed down to the Premier League's sixth-placed team, which is currently Brighton with 50 points.

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However, if Villa finishes fourth or above and wins the Europa League, there would be no extra Champions League place for an English club, and other teams like Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brentford, and Fulham are within striking distance of a Champions League spot.

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The upcoming fixtures include several key matches, with Leeds facing Burnley on Friday, and Arsenal facing Fulham on Saturday, while Manchester United will face Liverpool on Sunday, and Everton will face Manchester City on Monday.