Rating the chances of the teams battling for a top-4 finish

At this time of the season, the narratives write themselves.

Tottenham Hotspur is making a late snatch for the Premier League crown, which Chelsea has been modelling in front of the mirror for some time, and the last relegation place is set to be contested between Hull City and Swansea City - unless Burnley suffers an almighty collapse.

Another element that has enthralled viewers this season is the battle to earn a spot in next season's Champions League. Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, and Arsene Wenger are squabbling over two places in the competition for their respective sides, with the Europa League's Thursday night tours of rough pitches the unappetising wooden spoon for the losers.

Here are the upcoming schedules for Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal, along with how British bookmakers - as compiled by Oddschecker - and theScore rate their chances of competing in next term's elite continental campaign.

Liverpool

For the other teams competing for third and fourth, Liverpool's run-in after defeating Everton at the start of April would've been the easiest.

But this is Liverpool.

Klopp's lot will end this season with the best record against top-six rivals, but when it comes to supposedly lesser sides, the Reds tend to struggle. Last Sunday, Crystal Palace joined the likes of Hull, Swansea, Bournemouth, and Burnley in overcoming the Merseysiders in the Premier League this term.

The German advocate of pressing needs to find a way to breach deep defences fast, or face the bloated calendar and bountiful Air Miles that the Europa League offers.

Fixtures

Estimated top-four finish odds: 1-2

Chances of making the cut: 6 out of 10

Manchester City

Outshooting Manchester United 19-3 and dominating possession at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday only earned a 0-0 draw. The outcome would've perturbed home fans that have become all too familiar with City's wastefulness in front of goal, but the result essentially keeps the club in pole position for a top-four berth.

Related: 3 takeaways as wasteful City fails to breach 10-man United in derby

Guardiola's side is the only one in the mix that doesn't have a top-seven outfit in its remaining fixtures, and the returns to fitness of Gabriel Jesus and captain Vincent Kompany have given the club a huge boost.

There is a caveat, however. Middlesbrough contained City superbly in a smash-and-grab draw in east Manchester earlier in the campaign, and Leicester City trounced the Eastlands club 4-2 in a December duel. City's defensive discipline has improved since then, but the forward line needs to follow the same beat soon to avoid a crash in Guardiola's first conquest in England.

Fixtures

Estimated top-four finish odds: 1-9

Chances of making the cut: 8 out of 10

Manchester United

The door wasn't really shut on Marcus Rashford in the Manchester derby, it's just that United seemed to forget about the youngster. He'd shown his pace could unlatch City's defensive line on a couple occasions, but Mourinho's throng focused on defending to edge a goalless draw.

The gaffer should've gone for it.

Along with Arsenal, Manchester United's remaining matches are tricky. Swansea should be overcome, but consecutive tilts in north London against Arsenal and Tottenham swelled in importance after the Red Devils didn't chase all the points at the Etihad Stadium.

Those capital clashes are made tougher yet in the absences of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata through injury. Paul Pogba also missed the all-Manchester bout with an undisclosed issue.

Fixtures

Estimated top-four finish odds: 2-1

Chances of making the cut: 5 out of 10

Arsenal

Suddenly, the characteristically stubborn Wenger has dared to reshuffle his 4-2-3-1 shape in favour of a back three, and it's yielded instant results.

League victories over Middlesbrough and Leicester bookended an FA Cup final progression at the expense of Manchester City, and even the Arsenal Fan TV gloom-mongers are conceding that, on this occasion, Wenger got something right.

The lingering concern is that all three bouts were narrow wins. The fact there are still six matches remaining in Arsenal's season could be redundant without taking positive results at Tottenham's White Hart Lane on Sunday, and then against Manchester United a week later.

Fixtures

Estimated top-four finish odds: 4-1

Chances of making the cut: 4 out of 10

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)