Manchester City’s loss to Tottenham on Saturday has reignited the Premier League title race as Liverpool continue to narrow the gap on the leaders.
For the first time since October, Pep Guardiola’s side tasted defeat in dramatic fashion as Harry Kane’s late winner saw Spurs do the double over City.
It means Liverpool continue to close in on the Blues having come from behind to beat Norwich 3-1 just hours before the clash at the Etihad Stadium.
We’re set for an intriguing few weeks as we near the home straight. Here’s a look at City’s next six Premier League fixtures compared to Liverpool’s, with that all-important meeting between the two at the Etihad on the horizon.
Saturday, February 26 – Everton (A)
A trip to Merseyside is up next for City following a week's break, during which time their closest rivals will play their game in hand and potentially narrow the gap to three points.
Everton face their own fight at the opposite end of the table, and even the arrival of Frank Lampard hasn’t settled the nerves at Goodison Park.
They once again showed some major vulnerabilities in their defeat at Southampton, and City will need to exploit those in order to produce a response to Saturday’s defeat.
Sunday, March 6 – Manchester United (H)
Derby day looks set to have a very different feel to it compared to the last meeting between the two Manchester clubs, with things just starting to pick up again for United.
When the two teams met at Old Trafford, it was as comfortable as you like for the visitors as they eased their way to a 2-0 win.
There are still those lingering problems for United, but if they can keep their momentum up after wins over Brighton and Leeds, this could be a big test for City.
Monday, March 14 – Crystal Palace (A)
Palace simply can’t find a win at the moment, although that’s not to say they’ve been poor by any stretch.
They almost managed to claim a point against Chelsea at the weekend and they have played some attractive football under Patrick Vieira this season.
Palace could certainly cause City some issues, as they showed when they won 2-0 at the Etihad back in October.
Saturday, March 19 – Brighton (H)
For all of Graham Potter’s good work this season, Brighton appear to have plateaued in recent weeks.
The Seagulls have become the league’s draw specialists, having taken a point from 12 of their 25 games so far – more than any other side.
They managed to get a point when they went to Anfield earlier in the season and City will be desperate to avoid the same fate.
Saturday, April 2 – Burnley (A)
Having picked up just their second win of the season on Saturday, you wouldn’t really expect City to face too many problems against Burnley.
But then Turf Moor is never an easy ground to visit, and in their 3-0 win at Brighton, Burnley showed signs of improvement.
Wout Weghorst looks to be a good signing for them and the former Wolfsburg striker will be a handful for City’s defence.
Saturday, April 9 – Liverpool (H)
The big one, and the game that could ultimately decide the destination of this season’s Premier League trophy.
Should both sides keep up their usual incredible form, Liverpool could be heading to the Etihad with a chance to overtake City.
As has been the case for much of the season, City will likely have to be perfect in order to maintain their lead ahead of what will be a mouth-watering encounter.
Liverpool’s next six league fixtures
Leeds (H)
West Ham (H)
Brighton (A)
Arsenal (A)
Manchester United (H)
Watford (H)
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