A victory for Manchester City over Arsenal in their eagerly anticipated top-of-the-table clash on Sunday (16:30 BST) would trim the gap on Mikel Arteta's side to a mere three points with a game in hand. BBC Sport looks at the key themes ahead of the match.
City blossoming in spring once again
Manchester City carry all the momentum going into their blockbuster title clash against a faltering Arsenal side that has seen their healthy lead at the top start to slip away.
Unrelenting City come into their own at this time of year and their record under Pep Guardiola in the spring is frightening. Since he took charge, they average 2.51 points-per-game in the month of April with a win rate of 79.5%.
City have only lost one of their last 19 league games (W12, D6) and are unbeaten in 14 at home since August, scoring at least twice in 12 of those matches.
They have a host of players hitting top form, particularly Nico O'Reilly, who was the scourge of the Gunners with a brace in the League Cup final. While the mercurial Rayan Cherki has become the first player to register 10 or more assists in their debut Premier League season since Dimitri Payet registered 12 for West Ham in 2015-16.
This is the latest into a season that City are facing the league leaders since April 2012, when they beat Manchester United 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium en route to securing what was a famous first ever Premier League title.
Arsenal looking to get back on track
A fragile and wounded Arsenal head to the Etihad having lost their last three domestic matches in three different competitions: Man City in the EFL Cup final, Southampton in the FA Cup, and Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Incredibly, the last time they lost four in a row domestically was in March 2018 and that included defeats to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final and also in the Premier League.
After only suffering three defeats in their opening 49 matches of this season in all competitions (W37, D9), Arsenal have since lost three of their last five while their last top-flight victory came more than a month ago.
While City flourish in April, it is statistically Arsenal's worst month under Mikel Arteta – earning only 1.54 points per game and a 42.3% win rate.
Despite the air of anxiety surrounding the Gunners, they have booked a place in successive Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Neither of the legs versus Sporting Lisbon were pretty, but Mikel Arteta has urged perspective amidst the maelstrom currently surrounding the club: "It's a massive moment," he says. "To be part of those four teams is great work. We are making steps that haven't been done at this club for 140 years. You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work."
At least they can fall back on a much-improved recent record against Manchester City in the league. Having lost 12 top-flight matches in a row against them they are unbeaten in their last five.
However, a victory at the Etihad is still proving elusive, they have failed to win on any of their last 10 visits there dating back to 2015.
