The Run In: Each team's remaining fixtures RANKED

We assess which clubs have the toughest final seven matches, based on the Fixture Difficulty Ratings Football writer Alex Keble looks into which teams - on paper - have the best fixtures from now until the end of the season. After an extended break for international fixtures and FA Cup matches, the Premier League returns this weekend with the start of The Run In – and it’s hard to recall a season when so much was on the line with so few matches remaining. The title, the race for European places and the relegation battle are all yet to be decided. Here, we compare each team’s remaining matches to find out who has (in theory) the best and worst set of games, using two measures: an average of the points won by each club’s remaining opponents, and the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), a Fantasy Premier League tool based on a complex algorithm that generates a rank for the perceived difficulty of a team's opponent, ranked from 1 (easy) to 5 (hard). The FDR results suggest that AFC Bournemouth, Brentford, Burnley and Crystal Palace have the toughest remaining games, while Leeds United have the easiest. Average FDR of teams' remaining matches Team Ave. FDR per match Total FDR Current position Leeds 2.4 17 15th Wolves 2.6 18 20th Brighton 2.6 18 10th Sunderland 2.7 19 11th Everton 2.7 19 8th West Ham 2.9 20 18th Spurs 2.9 20 17th Nott'm Forest 2.9 20 16th Man Utd 2.9 20 3rd Man City* 2.9 23 2nd Aston Villa 2.9 20 4th Arsenal 2.9 20 1st Chelsea 3.0 21 6th Newcastle 3.1 22 12th Liverpool 3.3 23 5th Fulham 3.3 23 9th Crystal Palace* 3.4 27 14th Burnley 3.4 24 19th Brentford 3.4 24 7th Bournemouth 3.4 24 13th *Man City and Crystal Palace have eight matches left, all other teams have sevenScroll across on mobile to see the full table However, calculating the average points tally of the remaining opponents of every club reveals a slightly different order. This suggests Palace have the toughest set of fixtures because their remaining opponents have the highest number of average points (48.1), closely followed by Liverpool (47.4), but Leeds still have the "easiest" remaining matches by this measure (33.7). Average opposition points of teams' remaining matches Club Ave. points total of opponents FDR ave. Leeds 33.7 2.4 Wolves 34.6 2.6 Brighton 35.0 2.6 Aston Villa 39.9 2.9 Arsenal 40.0 2.9 Sunderland 40.3 2.7 Spurs 40.6 2.9 West Ham 41.9 2.9 Man Utd 42.0 2.9 Everton 42.4 2.7 Newcastle 42.7 3.1 Nott'm Forest 43.4 2.9 Burnley 44.3 3.4 Chelsea 44.7 3.0 Man City 45.6 2.9 Fulham 45.7 3.3 Bournemouth 45.9 3.4 Brentford 46.1 3.4 Liverpool 47.4 3.3 Crystal Palace 48.1 3.4 Scroll across on mobile to see the full table Title race: Arsenal's schedule looks more favourable than Man City's Until recently there was a noticeable gap between Arsenal and Manchester City but the latest FDR update has reduced that to nothing, with both clubs facing a 2.9 average. However, this is not reflected in the points totals, with Arsenal’s opponents averaging 40.0 points compared to 45.6 points for Man City. This is a significant difference, reflecting the fact that the highest-ranking club the Gunners will face, other than Man City in their head-to-head encounter on 19 April, is Fulham in ninth place. Man City face five of the current top seven but while that would seem to be a substantially more challenging set of games, the FDR indicates the recent form guide of these clubs suggests we might want to ignore the league table. Nevertheless, Arsenal’s current healthy lead leaves them with the advantage overall. Race to Champions League: Villa and Man Utd appear favourites as Chelsea and Liverpool face uphill task Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are challenging for (most likely) two Champions League places, and at the moment the FDR and average points total of their opponents (APO) reveal clear favourites. Liverpool rank second-highest on FDR (3.3) and APO (47.4), which is discouraging considering Arne Slot’s side have won just two of their last seven matches in all competitions. Chelsea, too, are not in the best form (four wins from 11, three of which were against lower-league opposition) and also have tough remaining games, ranking seventh for APO (44.7) and eighth for FDR (3.0). This is good news for fans of Man Utd, who are already threatening to pull away, and especially Villa. Only three clubs have a lower APO or FDR score than Unai Emery’s side (39.9 and 2.9 respectively) while Man Utd are in the top half on both measures (42.0 and 2.9). Villa have some of the most straightforward games; Liverpool and Chelsea have among the most challenging. Nowhere else do the FDR and APO scores seem more instructive than in the tight race for Champions League football. Relegation battle: Leeds are best placed in extremely close contest Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest all have the same FDR score (2.9) and the difference between their APO scores is fairly negligible, too, although Spurs look to be in a better position than Forest in particular. Average opposition points of teams' remaining matches Club Ave. points total of opponents FDR ave. Current position Leeds 33.7 2.4 15th Spurs 40.6 2.9 17th West Ham 41.9 2.9 18th Nott'm Forest 43.4 2.9 16th Scroll across on mobile to see the full table Leeds, on the other hand, appear to have a good advantage. They have the lowest score in the whole division for both categories, thanks to home games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, as well as a six-pointer against West Ham on the final day. Spurs, West Ham, and Forest all have one "red" fixture (the second-most difficult) and only Forest, with one, have fewer than two games against fellow relegation candidates. It is likely to go to the wire.Other European places: Brighton stand out in congested race Just four points separates seventh place from 13th in the Premier League, and with seventh (and maybe even eighth) spot earning European qualification, a huge number of mid-table teams still have something to fight for. Any club able to put together a late string of wins stands an excellent chance, meaning the FDR and APO scores could prove particularly insightful. Average opposition points of teams' remaining matches Club Ave. points total of opponents FDR ave. Current position Brighton 35.0 2.6 10th Sunderland 40.3 2.7 11th Everton 42.4 2.7 8th Newcastle 42.7 3.1 12th Fulham 45.7 3.3 9th Bournemouth 45.9 3.4 13th Brentford 46.1 3.4 7th Scroll across on mobile to see the full table Brighton & Hove Albion have the joint-second easiest fixtures in the competition, which suggests they can build on their recent run (four wins from five in the Premier League) to make up the three-point gap to seventh place. At the other end, Brentford have been riding high this season but three consecutive draws has allowed others back in, and unfortunately for Keith Andrews’ side they have the joint-highest FDR score and the third-highest APO. Elsewhere, Everton appear to have simpler games and, like Brighton, already have momentum behind them, whereas Fulham, Bournemouth, and Newcastle United face tough run-ins. Wolves might not finish bottom of the league The notable upturn under Rob Edwards has brought Wolves to within just three points of Burnley in 19th, and analysis of FDR and APO tells us they have a good chance of reeling Scott Parker's side in. Only Leeds have a lower FDR or APO score than Wolves’ 2.6 and 34.6. They face four clubs currently in the relegation battle, including Burnley on the final day, giving Edwards’ team a good shot at climbing off the foot of the table. Considering Wolves had two points from 11 games when the new head coach arrived, this is a target well worth aiming for as the club prepare for a Championship promotion battle next season… probably. Seven wins from seven would take Wolves up to 38 points, enough to survive the drop in 25 of the 31 Premier League seasons in the 20-club era. Wolves’ fixtures are inviting. If nothing else, FDR and APO analysis increases the odds, however small, that the 2025/26 season crescendos with the greatest of all great escapes. Also in this series