The 2025/26 Premier League season is no longer fresh and new. It is no longer about early excitement or surprise results. Now it is about pressure. Now it is about nerves. Now it is about who can survive the final storm. The business end of the season has arrived, and three clubs are standing tall in the middle of the battlefield: Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
At the top of the table, Arsenal sit with confidence. Twenty-eight games played. Eighteen wins. Seven draws. Only three defeats. Fifty-six goals scored. Just twenty-one conceded. Sixty-one points. It looks strong. It looks serious. It looks like a team that is tired of nearly winning. Under Mikel Arteta, they are chasing their first Premier League title since that unforgettable 2003/04 season. The fans can almost taste it.
But this is the Premier League. Nothing comes easy.
Right behind them are Manchester City. Twenty-seven games played. Seventeen wins. Five draws. Five losses. Fifty-six goals scored, but twenty-five conceded. Fifty-six points. Just five behind Arsenal with a game in hand. And when you talk about City, you talk about champions. You talk about serial winners. Under Pep Guardiola, they have made history before. They are the only club to win four Premier League titles in a row, from 2020/21 to 2023/24. They know how to hunt. They know how to chase. They know how to strike late.
And then there is Aston Villa. Quiet. Calm. Watching. Twenty-seven games played. Fifteen wins. Six draws. Six defeats. Thirty-eight goals scored. Twenty-eight conceded. Fifty-one points. Ten points behind Arsenal. Managed by Unai Emery, they are not supposed to be here. At the start of the season, nobody believed they would be fighting for a title. After five matches, they had zero wins and just one goal. Some fans feared the worst. But football can change quickly. Now they are outsiders with belief.
The big question is simple: who has the hardest run-in?
Manchester Cityโs remaining fixtures look friendly at first glance. They travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United. They welcome Nottingham Forest to the Etihad. They go to London Stadium to face West Ham. On paper, these are games City should win. If they are serious about catching Arsenal, they must collect nine points from those three matches. No excuses.
But then the fire begins.
They travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. Stamford Bridge is never easy. Chelsea are fifth in the table and still chasing European football. After that comes the game everyone is waiting for. April 18. Etihad Stadium. Manchester City vs Arsenal. First against second. It could decide everything. It is what fans call a six-pointer. If City win, they close the gap or maybe even overtake. If Arsenal win, they break Cityโs spirit.
After that, City must travel to Burnley and Everton. Away games late in the season are dangerous, especially when teams are fighting relegation or European dreams. Brentford then visit the Etihad. Brentford have been one of the surprise packages this season. They are not scared of big teams. Then comes Bournemouth away. And finally, on the last day of the season, Aston Villa at home.
That final match could be dramatic. In 2021/22, City won the title on the final day against Villa. History could repeat itself. Or history could change.
Cityโs average opponent position for the remaining games is 10.5. It sounds average. But the key matches are heavy. Chelsea. Arsenal. Aston Villa. Liverpool also appear in the final weeks for Villa, which indirectly affects City. The pressure will be intense.
For Arsenal, the situation feels slightly different. On paper, their average opponent position is 11.0. Slightly easier than City. But football is not played on paper.
Arsenalโs next match is against Chelsea at the Emirates. A London derby. Derby matches do not care about form. Then they travel to Brighton. Brighton can be tricky at the Amex. After that, Everton away. Everton are eighth and strong at home. Then Bournemouth at the Emirates. Then comes the biggest test of all: Manchester City away.
If Arsenal want to prove they are champions, they must not lose at the Etihad. Even a draw could feel like a win.
After City, they host Newcastle. Newcastle are tenth and dangerous on their day. But then May arrives, and things become softer. Fulham at home. West Ham away. Burnley at home. Crystal Palace away on the final day.
If Arsenal reach May still at the top, they will feel confident. Those final fixtures are kind compared to Cityโs. But they must survive March and April first.
The biggest strength for Arsenal this season has been defence. Only twenty-one goals conceded after twenty-eight matches. That is championship form. But there are small worries. Goals sometimes feel hard to find in tight matches. When the pressure increases, strikers must deliver. Midfielders must stay calm. Arteta must make the right decisions.
For Aston Villa, the story is different. They have the easiest average opponent position: 11.8. That is the best among the three title challengers. But numbers can hide reality.
Villa travel to face Wolverhampton Wanderers first. Wolves are bottom of the table and close to relegation. That should be three points. Then Chelsea at home. Then Manchester United at Old Trafford. Those two matches are not easy. After that, West Ham at home. Then Nottingham Forest away. Sunderland at home. Fulham away. Tottenham at home. Burnley away.
It looks manageable. It looks like a run where points can be collected quietly.
But then comes the final storm.
Liverpool at Villa Park. Liverpool, despite struggling earlier in the season, are improving. They still have pride. They still have quality. That game will not be simple. And then the final day: Manchester City away at the Etihad.
For Villa to win the league, they probably need to beat City on the last day. That is a huge task. City love pressure. Guardiola thrives on chaos.
Villaโs biggest problem is the gap. Ten points behind Arsenal is not small. Even with easier fixtures, they must hope Arsenal and City drop points. They do not control their destiny. They are chasing miracles.
But football has seen miracles before. Think about 2015/16. When Leicester City shocked the world. Nobody believed. Nobody expected. But they kept winning while others slipped. That memory still lives in English football. It reminds everyone that anything is possible.
Looking at the remaining fixtures, Manchester City have the most dramatic schedule. Arsenal have a balanced one. Aston Villa have the easiest overall but the hardest ending.
The key match of the entire season might be Manchester City vs Arsenal on April 18. If Arsenal win, they send a message. If City win, they ignite fear. If it ends in a draw, the title race goes to the final weeks.
Psychology will matter. Experience will matter. Squad depth will matter. Injuries will matter.
City have done this before. Arsenal have not lifted the league title in over twenty years. Villa have not been in this position for decades. Pressure feels different depending on history.
Arsenal fans are dreaming. They have suffered near-misses in recent years. They do not want heartbreak again. Manchester City fans believe in their teamโs DNA. They expect late drama and trophies. Aston Villa fans are enjoying the ride, hoping for something special.
As the calendar moves into March, every match becomes heavier. Every mistake becomes louder. Every goal feels like gold.
There will be twists. There will be shocks. A red card here. A last-minute winner there. A surprise draw at a small stadium. That is how titles are won and lost.
Right now, Arsenal lead. Manchester City chase. Aston Villa wait.
But in the Premier League, the story is never finished until the final whistle on the final day.
And when May 24 arrives, when the last ball is kicked, when the table becomes permanent, only one of these teams will stand above the rest.
Will it be Artetaโs young warriors finally breaking their curse?
Will it be Guardiolaโs champions reminding the world why they dominate?
Or will it be Emeryโs outsiders writing the most unexpected chapter of the 2025/26 season?
The answer lies in the remaining fixtures. The pressure. The belief. The courage.
The title race is alive. And it is only getting started.
