A run of five games without defeat has moved Manchester United into a handy position in the race to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League.
The Red Devils entered the November international break in seventh place in the standings with 18 points. They are just two points adrift of third-placed Chelsea.
Online bookmakers now rate United as 5/2 shots to finish in the top four, and those odds could be slashed if they continue their unbeaten run.
Bettors who download Melbet latest version can access a wide range of Premier League markets, each of which are formulated using real-time data.
The fixtures in the run-up to Christmas could trigger further fluctuations in the top-four market as teams jostle to keep pace with their rivals.
With that in mind, read on as we look at what is on the agenda for each of the contenders over the next few weeks, before assessing United’s chances of breaking into the top four.
Chelsea (3rd) – 20 points
- Burnley (A)
- Arsenal (H)
- Leeds United (A)
- Bournemouth (A)
- Everton (H)
- Newcastle United (A)
Sunderland – (4th) – 19 points
- Fulham (A)
- Bournemouth (H)
- Liverpool (A)
- Manchester City (A)
- Newcastle United (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
Tottenham Hotspur (5th) – 18 points
- Arsenal (A)
- Fulham (H)
- Newcastle United (A)
- Brentford (H)
- Nottingham Forest (A)
- Liverpool (H)
Aston Villa (6th) – 18 points
- Leeds United (A)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
- Arsenal (H)
- West Ham United (A)
- Manchester United (H)
Manchester United (7th) – 18 points
- Everton (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
- West Ham United (H)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
- Bournemouth (H)
- Aston Villa (A)
Liverpool (8th) – 18 points
- Nottingham Forest (H)
- West Ham United (A)
- Sunderland (H)
- Leeds United (A)
- Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
- Tottenham Hotspur (A)
Bournemouth (9th) – 18 points
- West Ham United (H)
- Sunderland (A)
- Everton (H)
- Chelsea (H)
- Manchester United (A)
- Burnley (H)
Crystal Palace (10th) – 17 points
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
- Manchester United (H)
- Burnley (A)
- Fulham (A)
- Manchester City (H)
- Leeds United (A)
The Melbet app rates Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea as the teams most likely to fill the top four places at the end of the season.
While Arsenal and Man City look nailed on to claim two of the four spots, the race to secure the other two positions is more difficult to predict.
Just three points separate Chelsea in third place from Crystal Palace in tenth, highlighting the competitive nature of the battle for Champions League qualification.
Man United have worked their way into a challenging position ahead of the festive period, collecting 18 points to sit seventh in the standings.
Intriguingly, the upcoming fixtures give the Red Devils every chance of moving into the top four before the Christmas celebrations get underway.
Ruben Amorim’s side have a relatively favourable schedule, and should add a minimum of 14 points to their tally over the next six games.
Visits to Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are potential banana skins, but Man United are perfectly capable of taking something from those games.
Liverpool have the easiest schedule of the top four contenders on paper. However, the reigning champions have struggled to produce their best form this season.
Chelsea and Villa are fancied to garner a healthy points tally over the next few weeks, but they may fall short of United’s total haul.
Moving into the top four before Christmas is a distinct possibility if United live up to expectations, and would set them up nicely for the hectic festive schedule.
