How the top four race is shaping up as Villa and Spurs battle

The battle for a spot in the top four in the Premier League this season looks like it’s going right down to the wire yet again.

Tottenham and Aston Villa are battling it out for one place, with Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool clear at the top of the table.

Villa and Spurs have pulled away from the rest and they will be fighting each other to book a spot among Europe’s elite.

Here, talkSPORT.com takes an in-depth look at the race for Champions League football…

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Aston Villa – 4th

The Villans have enjoyed an incredible campaign and they are in the driving seat in the race for fourth.

Unai Emery‘s men started the year with eight consecutive home wins, and after a victory over Arsenal in early December, they were well in the title race.

Since then, they’ve dropped off a bit and slipped to a 3-3 draw at home to Brentford just days after losing 4-1 away to Man City.

At a crucial point in their campaign, a 4-0 humbling by Spurs last month, handed the Londoners the initiative.

However, an incredible win over Arsenal has changed their Champions League outlook.

Villa have since beaten Bournemouth and drawn to Chelsea that has opened up a seven-point gap to Tottenham with their rivals having two games in hand.

Predicted finish – 4th

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Tottenham – 5th

Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou in his first season as a Premier League manager have been a breath of fresh air.

They have scored 67 goals so far in their first campaign without talisman Harry Kane – only five sides have bagged more.

Spurs have played with freedom all season, while James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have proven to be excellent signings.

Inconsistency has cost them at times this year, with good results then being followed by poor ones, leaving their top-four hopes in the balance.

They have two games in hand on Villa, which will be vital, but they still have to face Premier League title rivals Man City and Liverpool, while a defeat in the north London derby hasn’t done them many favours.

Again, it’s likely to be these games that decide their fate, although it’s advantage Villa heading into the final few fixtures.

Predicted finish – 5th

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