Tottenham to pip Leicester for the title, says Gary Lim

LEICESTER

Current position: 1st, 
66 points after 31 games, 
goal difference: 23

Leicester City are in the driver's seat to complete the most unfathomable fairy-tale in the history of the EPL.

Powered by the double-scoring act of Jamie Vardy (19 goals) and Riyad Mahrez (16 goals), the Foxes are top of the Premiership table, five points ahead of nearest rivals Tottenham.

Looking at the quality of their opposition in the title run-in, manager Claudio Ranieri knows that the championship is theirs to lose.

In the corresponding fixtures with the seven teams left to play against, they have won all but two - which they drew.

The trickiest spell will come right at the end, when they take on Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea in their final three matches.

It is therefore crucial for them to build up a comfortable cushion before that.

Some pundits point out that Leicester tend to struggle more against the smaller teams, who are usually more defensive and thus limit Leicester's counter-attacking strengths.

An injury to either Vardy or Mahrez will also almost certainly end their dream.

Ranieri, who himself has never won a top-division title in all the countries he has coached in, will be keeping his fingers crossed that his team can end the season the way they started it.

How Leicester deal with the growing pressure in the coming weeks will determine their fate.

But I suspect there are still some twists to the title race and they will suffer heartbreak on the final day of the season, when Spurs finish level on points with them and pip them to the title on goal difference.

Remaining fixtures and predictions

Southampton (H) - Draw

Sunderland (A) - Win

West Ham (H) - Lose

Swansea (H) - Win

Man United (A) - Draw

Everton (H) - Win

Chelsea (A) - Lose

Projected total: 77 points. Leicester to finish second to Spurs on goal difference.

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TOTTENHAM

 Current  position:  2nd, 
61 points after 31 games, 
goal difference: 32

Like Leicester, Tottenham Hotspur are the surprise contenders this season.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has taken the youngest team in the Premiership to heights the long-suffering fans could not have imagined at the start of the season.

Harry Kane, 22, has proven his pedigree by continuing to knock in the goals after a breakout 2014/15 campaign.

With 21 goals, he is the top scorer in the top flight.

But he has help from an unlikely source - Dele Alli.

Just last season, the 19-year-old midfielder was still playing for second-tier Championship side Milton Keynes Dons.

He signed for Tottenham in February 2015 for an initial fee of £5 million ($9.73m) and what an inspired signing he has turned out to be.

Alli has scored seven goals and set up nine for his teammates this season, and has broken into the England first team.

While Kane and Alli deliver the goods in attack, the presence of players such as Toby Alderweireld and Kyle Walker in defence is the reason behind Spurs conceding the fewest goals (24) in the Premiership.

It's their inexperience in a title race that seems to be their biggest weakness.

Three tough games in their remaining fixtures stand out - Liverpool (away), Man United (home) and Chelsea (away).

Clear those obstacles, and Spurs may be on the way to winning their first league title since 1961. And I'm backing them to make up the five-point gap on Leicester and win the title on goal difference.

Remaining fixtures and predictions

Liverpool (A) - Lose

Man United (H) - Win

Stoke (A) - Win

West Brom (H) - Win

Chelsea (A) Draw

Southampton (H) - Win

Newcastle (A) - Win

Projected total: 77 points. Spurs to win title on goal difference.

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ARSENAL

Current position: 3rd, 
55 points after 30 games, 
goal difference: 18

Arsenal fans have every right to vent their frustration at manager Arsene Wenger.

In a season which none of the traditional contenders look interested in winning the league, Arsenal have failed to take their chance.

Despite having more star players than they have in years, the Gunners have been terribly inconsistent.

Again, their mental strength has been called into question. They crumbled when it mattered.

After beating Leicester last month to move within two points of the Foxes, they picked up just one point from the next three Premiership games.

The exit from the Champions League may be a good thing, since the two games against Barcelona seemed to have affected their focus on fighting for the title.

A long injury list isn't making things any easier for Wenger.

On paper, they have a reasonably easy run-in, with West Ham (away) and Man City (away) looking like their toughest games, although the clashes with relegation candidates Sunderland (away) and Norwich (home) are by no means walkovers.

However, with Leicester 11 points ahead of them, Arsenal may have left it too late to rescue their season.

Their only chance of winning a first league title since 2004 rests largely on both Leicester and Spurs cracking under the pressure.

And they can only hope.

Remaining fixtures and predictions

Watford (H) - Win

West Ham (A) - Draw

Crystal Palace (H) - Win

West Brom (H) - Win

Sunderland (A) - Win

Norwich (H) - Win

Man City (A) - Lose

Aston Villa (H) - Win

Projected total: 74 points. Arsenal to finish third.

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MAN CITY

Current position: 4th, 
51 points after 30 games, 
goal difference: 20

Manchester City's Premiership campaign has been underwhelming, to say the least.

Some believe that the mid-season announcement of Pep Guardiola taking over the team at the end of this term had destabilised the side significantly.

But, for a team boasting the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Joe Hart ( to be fighting just to stay in the top four must be a humbling experience.

The Citizens face a real danger of finishing outside of the top four for the first time since 2010 - West Ham and Man United are just one point behind them.

Once again, their performances against the big teams have been found wanting.

Out of the five matches they have played against top-four teams this season, they have picked up just one measly point - a 0-0 draw with Leicester last December.

There have been some heavy losses along the way too, such as the 4-1 away loss to Spurs, the 4-1 and 3-0 defeats by Liverpool, and the 3-1 home reverse against Leicester.

Their trademark ability to finish a campaign strongly will be severely tested.

With 15 points separating them from leaders Leicester, they will be better off focusing their efforts on qualifying for next season's Champions League instead.

Remaining fixtures and predictions

Bournemouth (A) - Draw

West Brom (H) - Win

Chelsea (A) - Win

Newcastle (A) - Draw

Stoke (H) - Win

Southampton (A) - Lose

Arsenal (H) - Win

Swansea (A) - Win

Projected total: 68 points.