Wednesday 15 June 2016 14:27, UK
We examine the Premier League title contenders' run-ins after the announcement of the 2016/17 fixtures.
Excitement is already building ahead of the new season following the Premier League fixture announcement, with champions Leicester City set to face fierce competition for their crown in 2016/17.
Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho will hope to transform Manchester City and Manchester United's fortunes, while Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool are also among Sky Bet's leading contenders for the title.
The final weeks of the season are likely to be crucial in the title race, so which of the leading contenders has the easiest run-in? And who has the toughest?
Here, we rank the contenders' run-ins from easiest to hardest using last season's average positions of their final six opponents of the season. Newly-promoted Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull take 18th, 19th and 20th respectively.
LIVERPOOL
Final six opponents: West Brom (a), Crystal Palace (h), Watford (a), Southampton (h), West Ham (a), Middlesbrough (h)
Average position of final six opponents: 12.3
Jurgen Klopp will aim to compete for the Premier League title in his first full season at Anfield, and his hopes have been boosted by the easiest run-in on paper. Liverpool do not face any of last season's top five in their final six games. West Brom, Crystal Palace and Watford all finished in the bottom half, while newly-promoted Middlesbrough are among the favourites for relegation.
CHELSEA
Final six opponents: Manchester United (a), Southampton (h), Everton (a), Middlesbrough (h), West Brom (a), Sunderland (h)
Average position of final six opponents: 12.0
Incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will not be too concerned by his final six fixtures of 2016/17. A trip to face Jose Mourinho's Manchester United at Old Trafford will be a stern test, but the rest of their games are against teams who finished outside of the top five, with West Brom and Sunderland their final two opponents of the campaign.
MANCHESTER CITY
Final six opponents: Southampton (a), West Brom (h), Middlesbrough (a), Crystal Palace (h), Leicester City (h), Watford (a)
Average position of final six opponents: 11.3
Pep Guardiola avoids any clashes against the traditional big guns in Manchester City's final six games of 2016/17. Fixtures against the likes of West Brom, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Watford look relatively kind on paper, although there is the small matter of a home game against champions Leicester, who were 3-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium last season.
LEICESTER
Final six opponents: Crystal Palace (a), Tottenham (h), West Brom (a), Watford (h), Manchester City (a), Bournemouth (h)
Average position of final six opponents: 10.8
Leicester are 33/1 outsiders to retain the Premier League title with Sky Bet despite last season's extraordinary heroics, but the Foxes will be out to upset the odds again in 2016/17. If Claudio Ranieri's are still in the mix in April, they will have to navigate big games against Tottenham and Manchester City to stay in the hunt.
ARSENAL
Final six opponents: Middlesbrough (a), Sunderland (h), Tottenham (a), Manchester United (h), Stoke (a), Everton (h)
Average position of final six opponents: 10.7
Can Arsenal go the distance in 2016/17? The Gunners' title challenges have ended prematurely in recent seasons, and they will have to overcome a tricky run-in to buck the trend in the new campaign. The Gunners face Tottenham at White Hart Lane and Jose Mourinho's Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, and there are also potentially tricky clashes with Stoke and Everton.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Final six opponents: Chelsea (h), Burnley (a), Swansea (h), Arsenal (a), Tottenham (a), Crystal Palace (h)
Average position of final six opponents: 10.0
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United face a challenging run-in, with a blockbuster home game against his old side Chelsea and trips to Arsenal and Tottenham in their final six fixtures. Clashes with Burnley and Swansea are rather kinder, however, and they finish the campaign at home to Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace.
TOTTENHAM
Final six opponents: Bournemouth (h), Leicester (a), Arsenal (h), West Ham (a), Manchester United (h), Hull (a)
Average position of final six opponents: 8.5
The fixtures have dealt Tottenham the hardest run-in on paper, with consecutive clashes against Leicester, Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester United before a trip to Hull on the final day. Mauricio Pochettino's side collapsed at the end of last season, failing to win any of their last four games. Their daunting run-in suggests they will need much more gas in the tank in 2016/17.
