Liverpool pulled ahead in the Premier League table Sunday, taking advantage of a relatively easy fixture against Brighton while the next two contending teams, Arsenal and Manchester City, clashed with one another.
Because the latter two fought to a draw, Liverpool gained two points of separation after entering the week tied with Arsenal for first place, a point ahead of City. The Reds are now in the driver seat entering Week 31, but with plenty of time left for things to change.
Aston Villa and Tottenham are also in striking distance, though each would require a lot more help to climb to the top. Bettors may like what they see with the longer odds of those teams, but for a more realistic futures bet, below is a ranking of the contenders by most likely to capture the Premier League title.
Odds are courtesy of BetMGM.
5
Aston Villa: 59 points (+20000)
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Though Aston Villa has more points than Tottenham today, I have it ranked lower because it doesn’t have as many cakewalk matches left on the schedule. Two of its toughest remaining matches, against Manchester City and Arsenal, both come on the road. There’s not much comfort in playing Liverpool at home, either.
4
Tottenham: 56 points (+25000)
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The one thing Tottenham has going for it is that its toughest remaining matchups are mostly at home, including tilts against Arsenal and Manchester City. The Spurs do still have to go to Liverpool and West Ham, but at least they have matches against bottom-feeders like Nottingham, Burnley and Sheffield to potentially make up some ground.
3
Arsenal: 65 points (+250)
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Before playing City to a draw Sunday, Arsenal had been rolling, outscoring its opponents 33-4 in eight straight wins since the start of January. But things are about to get tougher, with five of its remaining nine games against team in the top half of the table. That includes matches at Tottenham and Man United and a home game against Aston Villa. I expect some regression soon.
2
Liverpool: 67 points (+120)
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The only thing Liverpool’s two-point cushion does for me is keep the Reds from dropping to third on this list. Without it, I’d probably have Arsenal here. Among five road games remaining, Liverpool has to visit Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester United before the season is over. That’s not to mention a home game against Tottenham, which won the previous meeting.
1
Manchester City: 64 points (+180)
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City may be in third place now but it has the easiest remaining schedule of the top three teams, with its toughest remaining games being a home tilt against Aston Villa (on Wednesday) and a visit to Tottenham. City also has plenty of good momentum, suffering its last outright loss in early December. This is my favorite pick to finish the season at the top of the table.
