With fifth place likely to lead to Champions League qualification again, just three points separate Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool for a place in the top five, with one of those sides looking set to miss out.
Some would say Villa have the easiest run-in of the quartet. After a tough trip to Old Trafford this weekend, they face four of the bottom six in their next six games, although whether playing sides fighting for survival is an advantage at this stage is debatable.
Liverpool are the team currently outside the top five. They have the chance to build momentum against a run of mid-table sides before tackling a daunting series of games in May, when they play all three of their Champions League-chasing rivals in succession.
A couple of months ago, Aston Villa looked almost nailed on for a top-five finish as they sat at least eight points clear of the other three teams despite their underlying numbers being much worse.
They were even portrayed as possible title contenders, but a spate of injuries to key players and a drying-up of the xG-defying screamers they scored from outside the box earlier in the season allowed their rivals to make up ground.
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