Big matches in February that will Impact the Premier League Title Race
As the Premier League title race heats up, February promises a slate of must-win and must-see matches. With as many as 15 points up for grabs in some cases, each title contender will need a strong showing this month to remain in the race for the Premier League trophy.
Liverpool enter February atop the Premier League table, and the Reds' first match of the month will be away at Emirates Stadium against third place Arsenal, who trail the Reds by 5 points.
However, except for this massive game against the Gunners, Liverpool's February matches feature several teams at the bottom tier of the table.
Liverpool will host Burnley (currently 19th in the table) on 10 February; play away at Brentford (currently 15th in the table) on 17 February; and then finish the month with the League Cup Final against Chelsea on 25 February, which will force the Reds' Premier League home game against Luton Town (currently 17th in the table) to be postponed.
This schedule gives the Reds a great opportunity to secure some big points, but at the same time, it undoubtedly adds some pressure not to drop any points.
Second place Manchester City sit 5 points behind Liverpool with a game in-hand. However, City will play that game in-hand on 20 February when they host Brentford, who could be fatigued after playing against Liverpool on 17 February.
City's other matches this month include one more matchup against Brentford, then home games against Everton and Chelsea, and finally an away match at Bournemouth. Although this schedule is tougher on paper than Liverpool's, Pep Guardiola's side will surely be heavily favored to take all 15 points.
However, it will not be an easy task given that City will also have to play the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 matchup in Copenhagen on 13 February.
Arsenal will follow Sunday's match against Liverpool with two away games--one against West Ham and the other against Burnley. Similar to City, Arsenal will play a Champions League Round of 16 game in the middle of the month, and then the Gunners will finish February hosting Newcastle on 24 February.
If Arsenal can take all 12 points from this month, it would be an incredible run of play, but the Gunners have the talent to do it, so it's not impossible, but maybe unlikely.
What's certain is that the remaining four months of this year's Premier League title race will be filled with twists and turns, and it will all begin on Sunday when Jurgen Klopp leads the Reds into Emirates Stadium. Don't miss a second as the Reds continue their quest to lift the Premier League trophy.