Premier League: Title, Champions League and relegation battles heat up as run-in begins

It's a bumper weekend of Premier League football on Sky Sports, with the run-in well under way.

The Premier League title race is on, with Man City revving up and injury-hit Arsenal stuttering.

And there's all to play for down at the bottom, as Tottenham hope Roberto De Zerbi can lead them away from a shock drop.

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Here, we explain how this Sunday will shape the narrative through the Premier League as we reach the business end of the season...

Rosenior and Chelsea need statement result against City

The 7-0 thrashing of League One bottom club Port Vale in the FA Cup was a timely boost for Chelsea and Liam Rosenior, given the four-game losing streak they'd been on before the tie and the tumultuous international break which saw the club post a record loss and Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella make unwanted headlines.

But the pressure and intensity comes right back on the Blues and their head coach this Sunday when a rejuvenated Man City come to the Bridge. Rosenior reckons his team have "come back stronger" after he figured out what needed fixing after their bad run before the international break. He will need to show he has the solutions this weekend.

If not, City - eager to build on their hammering of Liverpool in the Cup - have the capability to deal a big blow to Chelsea's top-five ambitions in the Premier League.

Adding to the difficulty of the challenge is that Chelsea will be without Fernandez once again as he serves the second of his two-game ban imposed by Rosenior and the club after seemingly discussing a potential move to Real Madrid this summer. In a midfield battle which will be key, his absence will be felt. But Rosenior - yet to have a big statement win on Chelsea's home patch - needs to find a way to a big result without him.
Peter Smith

De Zerbi and Spurs in the spotlight

Elsewhere in the relegation battle... It begins. With the spotlight beaming like never before on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Roberto De Zerbi has seven games to keep Spurs in the Premier League, and it begins with a test of mettle.

All eyes will be on his approach. How instant will his impact be? The training videos released by the club have shown promise but that's what those clips are designed to do.

The quick play, De Zerbi's presence on the training pitch and seemingly growing relationship with his players are all good but unfortunately for a club the size of Spurs, smiles, fun and games are not the points that they now so desperately need.

Spurs find themselves in the bottom three before they even kick a ball on Sunday after West Ham's thrashing of Wolves on Friday night.

De Zerbi's ability to galvanise a side will be tested. He's notorious for his perhaps incendiary approach at times; however, the troublesome side of De Zerbi's Maverick will need taming for seven games.

It's a fresh slate for De Zerbi against a Sunderland side that have lost three on the bounce at the Stadium of Light after previously going unbeaten at home. Will Spurs be able to handle the upcoming spotlight that begins in the north east?
William Bitibiri

Pressure back on Howe and Newcastle

By the time Newcastle step onto the pitch to face Crystal Palace on Sunday, it would’ve been exactly three weeks since the humiliating Tyne-Wear derby defeat to Sunderland. For a team that has struggled to cope with their schedule all season, that is a lot of time to sit and dwell on that performance.

Couple that with the 7-2 thrashing by Barcelona prior, the pressure on Eddie Howe is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The ball is very much in his court this weekend.

The Magpies take on a Crystal Palace side who have had their own issues at times and will surely be more focused on trying to bring home silverware in the Conference League. For Howe, there are no more distractions. In seasons gone by, that is when his side have performed their best. That has to be the case in this run-in.

A win could be enough to see them climb into the top 10 if Spurs beat Sunderland and Burnley pick up vital points for their slim survival hopes against Brighton. That’s not what fans would’ve hoped to fight for at this point in the campaign, but that’s the reality.

With seven games to go, Howe has to put a run together and make some headway up the table in order to leave himself in a less vulnerable position come season’s end.
Callum Bishop

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Premier League: Title, Champions League and relegation battles heat up as run-in begins