Nottingham Forest and Nuno Espirito santo are desperate to secure Champions League football
Liverpool might be running away with the Premier League title but as far as European football is concerned, this has to be one of the tightest seasons in recent memory.
There are just nine points between Fulham in 10th and Nottingham Forest in third with 10 games to go - and Champions League football really is anyone's for the taking.
With teams like Tottenham and Manchester United stuck in mid-table while last year's top four side Aston Villa now seventh in the table, there is a real opportunity for teams like Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth to qualify for Europe.
Especially with the Premier League likely to be given five places in the Champions League, there has never been a better chance for teams for seal a place in Europe's elite.
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Liverpool's qualification for the Champions League is all but guaranteed with Arne Slot's men currently on 70 points, while it would be a shocking fall from grace if Arsenal were to capitulate and fall out of the top five.
The Gunners are currently on 55 points, four ahead of surprise package Nottingham Forest in third. You would expect the main fight for the top four places will be between Nuno Espirito Santo's side, Chelsea - who are on 49 points - and Manchester City.
City's 1-0 loss to Forest on Saturday saw their rivals go four points clear of them, while Chelsea's win over Leicester also helped the Blues leapfrog them into fourth.
Guardiola's men will now be looking over their shoulders at the plucky teams beneath them - though they'll take comfort knowing fifth place should be enough to remain in Europe's top competition, which offers such lucrative prize money.
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will be looking behind their shoulder bidding to cling onto fifth place
The Spaniard this week even admitted it would be "a problem" if City failed to secure passage to the Champions League amid their turbulent campaign that has now seen nine defeats in the Premier League.
He said: "It would not be good (if City didn’t qualify) but I saw what happened with other Premier League teams in the past. Not being in the Champions League would be a problem but there are teams who didn’t qualify who have come back and they are there now."
City still have some huge games against their rivals for European places to come in the season, as they next face Brighton, who are just one point below them in sixth.
Teams like Brighton and Bournemouth have a huge chance of qualifying for the Champions League
Guardiola's men also play Aston Villa in late April and Bournemouth on the penultimate day, so any slip-ups could be punished.
City have a lot of potential rivals for fifth, with Fulham in 10th just five points away from them and realistically in the running to snatch the final Champions League spot.
But even if the likes of Fulham, Newcastle and Bournemouth can't overtake the teams above them and claim a top five finish, Europa League and Conference League spots are still well up for grabs.
There will be even more spots available if Liverpool win the Carabao Cup over Newcastle, with their Europa League spot passed down the next high-ranked team who has not qualified.
Even Brentford down in 12th place could theoretically qualify for Europe should a top-five side win the domestic cups
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If City, Aston Villa, Brighton or Bournemouth were to finish in the top five and win the FA Cup, their place would also be passed down to the next available team.
Both possibilities look likely to happen, which opens the door to Brentford all the way down in 12, with Thomas Frank's men currently on 38 points and just seven points off Villa in seventh. Crystal Palace would also be in the mix for a surprise place in Europe as they are one point above Brentford in 11th.
This season has been a real watershed moment for the top tier of the Premier League. Two decades ago, no team could break the stranglehold of the 'top four' - when Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool were the dominant forces.
In the last few years, the top four became 'the Big Six' after Tottenham and Manchester City became regulars in the Champions League. Now, the Big Six doesn't really exist anymore. For the neutral, the Premier League has never been so open and the competition is better for it.
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