Premier League: Title, Champions League and relegation battles heat up as run-in begins

It's a bumper weekend of Premier League football on Sky Sports with SEVEN games live as the run-in begins.

The Premier League title race is on, with Man City revving up and injury-hit Arsenal seemingly stuttering.

The chase for Champions League football - with qualification for five teams through the Premier League now confirmed - is tight and tense. And there's all to play for down at the bottom, as Tottenham hope Roberto De Zerbi can lead them away from a shock drop.

Here, we explain how this weekend will shape the narrative through the Premier League as we reach the business end of the season...

How much does Kai Havertz's stoppage-time winner at Sporting shift the mood in the Arsenal camp? Surely there would have been uncertainty after the Carabao Cup final defeat was followed by a FA Cup exit at Southampton on the same day Man City romped to victory over Liverpool. But it appears they can now go into a crunch weekend with confidence.

A tricky test at home to Bournemouth on Saturday is not ideal. The Cherries won at the Emirates Stadium last season amid two Arsenal Champions League knockout legs. But after Arsenal showed their quality at both ends in Portugal and with injured players returning to action - including potentially key man Bukayo Saka on Saturday - Mikel Arteta will be preaching positivity as the Premier League run-in ramps up.

A convincing win over Bournemouth would indicate his side have grown and have the mentality to shake off their recent blip and push on for major honours at the end of this season.

But they dare not open the door for Man City to close the gap at the top. With Arsenal playing first, it is up to them to set the tone - and Pep Guardiola's side need no invitation to go through the gears and enhance their aura as fast finishers.

They will target a statement result at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, regardless of what the Gunners do. City look to be coming to the boil at the right time once again and any Arsenal slip-up will increase talk of another title-race overhaul.