Manchester City are running away with the Premier League title race and seemingly on course to be crowned champions for the third time in four seasons, but while the biggest prize appears destined for the Etihad again, the battle for Champions League qualification is intensifying with every round of fixtures.
West Ham are the surprise occupants of the fourth and final Champions League spot right now, with nine points separating David Moyes' team and Tottenham down in ninth position. While Manchester United and Leicester -- both four points clear of fourth in second and third, respectively -- could still be dragged into the fight, the race is beginning to look like six clubs slugging it out for one position, with Arsenal now surely too far off the pace in tenth, 11 points behind West Ham.
Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa and Spurs will all believe, or hope, they can overtake West Ham in fourth, but for some teams, the task is more challenging than others due to the ground they have to make up between now and the end of the season on May 23.
So how will it play out, and who is most likely to claim fourth spot this season?
STATE OF PLAY: The surprise team of the season so far. Two points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea and exceeding all expectations under David Moyes.
THE ROAD TO FOURTH: West Ham's next two away games, at Manchester City and Manchester United, will test Moyes and his players to the limit, but if they remain in contention after those fixtures, the schedule to the end of the season will boost their confidence, with games against seven teams currently in the bottom half still to come.
Key clashes against rivals for fourth are all at home, with Leicester, Chelsea and Everton all yet to visit the London Stadium.
KEY MAN: Thomas Soucek is one of four West Ham players who have played in all 25 Premier League games so far and his eight goals from midfield have been crucial, but Michail Antonio is the player who gives Moyes' team the X factor -- keeping the forward fit will be hugely important. Declan Rice, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and on-loan Jesse Lingard are also important characters down the stretch.
HOW MUCH DOES FOURTH MATTER? West Ham are a club with big ambitions to become London's top team, and their move to the London Stadium in 2016 was designed to propel them into the same bracket as Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal. Inconsistency on the pitch and poor decisions by the owners have held them back so far, but Moyes has brought stability, and Champions League qualification would give them the opportunity to make a giant leap. Yet nothing is certain when it comes to West Ham, and adding Champions League football to next year's schedule could be a problem if they over-stretch after getting there.
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