United, after six wins in seven games under interim head coach Michael Carrick, are in the strongest position in third, narrowly ahead of fourth-placed Villa on goal difference. Reigning champions Liverpool are three points behind United and Villa in fifth, with Chelsea a further three points back in sixth following their 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday.

But the four-way race for three Champions League spots is tight and Villa face Chelsea at Villa Park in a huge game on Wednesday that will have a significant bearing on the hopes of both teams.

All the clubs involved face fixtures against each other between now and the end of the season, so how will it play out?

United were 11 points behind Villa when Carrick was appointed until the end of the season following Ruben Amorim's dismissal after a 1-1 draw at Leeds on Jan. 4. But an incredible upturn in form under Carrick -- United have collected 19 points from a possible 21 -- has transformed the team's season and they are now favorites to claim a Champions League spot.

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There are some potential bumps in the road ahead, though. United's next two games are away on Wednesday to Newcastle, where they have lost on each of their past three visits, and then an Old Trafford clash with Villa on March 15.

Win those two and United should be in the clear ahead of games against Chelsea (away) on April 18 and Liverpool (home) seven days later. United have a healthy six-point cushion between themselves and sixth-placed Chelsea, and only Arsenal and City have scored more goals, so despite recording their worst-ever Premier League finish of 15th under Amorim last season, they look set to comfortably finish in the Champions League spots this time around.

Villa are on a terrible run of form after failing to win six of their nine Premier League games in 2026, and injuries to key midfielders John McGinn and Youri Tielemans have contributed to that dismal sequence. But despite their slide from title contention into a battle for Champions League qualification, Villa are still six points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea and their home game against Liam Rosenior's team on Wednesday should be seen as a decider for Unai Emery and his players.

If Villa win that game, they will move nine points clear of the Blues and that would seem to be a monumental gap for Chelsea to close. Indeed, if Villa win their next two league games -- against Chelsea and away to United -- their slump will be over and they can prepare for a top-five finish. However, Villa's recent form doesn't point toward such a run of big results and they must also factor in a Europa League round-of-16 tie against Lille either side of the United game.

Villa's final two matches of the season are against Liverpool (home) and Manchester City (away), so they can't afford any more slipups before then. This week's Chelsea clash is absolutely crucial.

Are Liverpool finally over their slump and performing like defending champions once again? Results suggest that they are. Arne Slot's team has won six of the past seven games in all competitions and bounced back from a stoppage-time defeat to Manchester City on Feb. 8 with three straight wins.

Liverpool ended Sunderland's unbeaten home run with a 1-0 win before snatching a stoppage time 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, then Saturday's 5-2 win against West Ham made it nine points from nine, so they look back on track.

Their run of fixtures coming up is also favorable, starting with a trip to bottom club Wolves on Tuesday, so they have the opportunity to seal a top-five spot before they face United (away), Chelsea (home) and Villa (away) in successive weeks before ending their season with a home game against Brentford.

If Liverpool maintain their form, they should put pressure on United for third spot, but with Slot's side still in the FA Cup and Champions League, a heavy run of fixtures could yet derail them. Still, having emerged from their early-season difficulties, Liverpool have wind in their sails and should coast into the top five from here.

New head coach Liam Rosenior suffered his first Premier League defeat since replacing Enzo Maresca in early January when his side lost at Arsenal on Sunday. But while that is a positive statistic, Chelsea went into that game having drawn at home to Leeds and Burnley -- two promoted teams -- in their past two fixtures, so their form is beginning to tail off at a crucial stage of the season.

Chelsea have a huge 10 days ahead that could define, or end, their season if results go against them. It starts with a league trip to Villa, followed by an FA Cup fifth-round tie away to Championship highfliers Wrexham, then comes the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie away to defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Those three tough away games will be a test of Chelsea's character and Rosenior's ability to motivate his team. But recent performances don't point to a positive outcome and Chelsea still have to play United (home), Liverpool (away) and Man City (home) before the end of the season.

Rosenior has yet to guide his team to a win against a top team -- they have lost three times to Arsenal during his two months in charge -- so they need to step up quickly and deliver a big result, starting with Wednesday at Villa Park. With United and Liverpool in good form and, with Villa still six points ahead, Chelsea look to be running out of road.