Rat Race for Top 4: Predicting the teams that will get in

On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur took part in the League Cup final against Premier League favourites Chelsea in a bid to win their first piece of silverware since 2008. But they were unable to repeat their big win against their London neighbours and thus, a terrible week ended with their Europa League elimination and a Cup final loss.Last season, the race for the title was an exciting one, with Arsenal leading the way for much of the first half of the season, with Liverpool's second half resurgence and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in the mix. But in the end, it was the rather 'unfancied' Manchester City, despite their talented squad, who came out of nowhere as the other three fell (or slipped in Liverpool's case) as the 2012 champions did it again in 2014.But this season, it looks more and more likely that Chelsea, with an improved squad, have what it takes to conquer the Premier League. If anything at all, Manchester City look more likely to fall into the 'rat race', as suggested by Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal for the so called Top Four, which gives clubs a chance to qualify, directly or indirectly for Europe's elite club competition, the UEFA Champions League, which brings with it the club's increased prestige, bank balance and a top attraction for top players eager to take part in the biggest football competition bar the FIFA World Cup.The significance of a berth in the UEFA Champions League can never be underestimated. In the age of social media and increased telecast of football around the world, your club's prestige and fan-followers can multiply by taking part with fellow big clubs and fighting for a prestigious trophy which with TV revenue can make the finances of a club significantly stronger. Arsene Wenger continues to emphasize each season the benefit Arsenal have had by taking part in the Champions League each season (albeit without much success in league or cup) on the club.As it stands, Arsenal are third with 51 points off 27 games, four off Manchester City in second and one ahead of Manchester United. Resurgent Liverpool are fifth with 48 points off 27, as surprise package Southampton with the slip at the weekend at Tony Pulis's West Brom keeping them at 46 points. Tottenham's absence from league action may give them an extra game, but with just 44 points off 26 games, they face a daunting task to even finish fifth, which gives them a chance to feature in Europe's second division, the less glamorous Europa League.So what do we expect from the clubs as they head into the final stretch of what is a very long season, which ends on 24th of May, where we can expect the following clubs to be?

#1 Arsenal

No stranger to scrapping for fourth place, Arsene Wenger's side have had good momentum winning 11 of the last 14 Premier League fixtures. Alexis Sanchez provided the goals to keep Arsenal competitive in the first half of the season while the likes of Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud have stepped up in the league in recent times. Arsene Wenger's decisions to put the likes of David Ospina in goal, Hector Bellerin at right-back and Francis Coquelin as the anchor of the midfield, and recently, the acquisition of Gabriel, the Brazilian centre-half have paid dividends for Arsenal, as they rack up points in the chase for the Champions League spots.

The Monaco setback could be detrimental to the club in terms of the very psychological effect on the players, which can be eliminated only by keeping themselves on a winning run in the league and FA Cup. If they do not do the needful at Monaco, even then they can fully focus their energies on defending the FA Cup and getting a high league position as possible.

In terms of what is coming up, Arsenal entertain Liverpool at the beginning of April and the champions-elect Chelsea late on the same month, and the visit to Old Trafford (both league and cup) will be the ones to watch for, as Arsenal know to brush past the small teams, but fail to do the same against the big teams. But if the last win at the Etihad is anything to go by, the opposition definitely won't have it so easy next time around.