Premier League bets of the weekend: Rivals waiting for Leicester City wheels to fall off must improve their own form

Ten matches to go in the English Premier League title race and there are different pressures with each passing week. Whereas Leicester played first last weekend and in midweek, which gave them the opportunity to stretch their lead, the positions are reversed this weekend with Tottenham v Arsenal leading the way, followed later on Saturday by Manchester City at home to Aston Villa and finally Leicester’s trip to Watford.

That means Leicester could no longer be top of the table by the time they kick off – if Tottenham beat Arsenal – or that they could have seen all three of their main rivals move closer to them.

The long-held assumption has been that Leicester will wilt eventually under that sort of pressure, but they have led for the past six weeks and it is their rivals who have shown the first cracks. First Manchester City dropped off the pace, then Arsenal lost momentum, and in midweek Tottenham were beaten at West Ham when top spot was in their sights.

Leicester’s players may be unaccustomed to challenging for trophies, but that comment applies equally to Tottenham’s young squad and they also carry the extra burden of big-club expectation. Up to now, Tottenham have been sneaking up quietly on the rails while most of the focus has been on the long-time leaders, but the pressure has increased as title talk has begun to swirl around White Hart Lane.

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To extend the horseracing analogy a little further, some horses can sit off the pace and appear to be travelling easily until the moment of truth arrives and they are unable to go through with their effort when the pressure is really on. Meanwhile, other horses are comfortable setting the pace and thrive on the challenge of being pressed on all sides.

Tottenham will first have to prove they are not in the first category and then show they can handle being in the lead if they make it to the front – a conundrum that has applied to north London rivals Arsenal in recent years without being resolved satisfactorily.

Saturday's derby between the two clubs comes at a crunch time, with Arsenal now six points behind Leicester after back-to-back losses to Manchester United and Swansea.

Another defeat for the Gunners would be a major setback but they have a decent chance of victory on the longer-term form lines, as long as they can recover their confidence quickly.