The Champions League race is heating up with West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal and Man United battling it out for fourth... so ahead of the Hammers visiting Old Trafford and Spurs facing Chelsea, who is best-equipped to snatch it?

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With the race for Champions League qualification heating up, this weekend could provide the biggest indication yet as to which team will snatch the final top-four spot in the Premier League.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea appear in pole position to wrap up the first three places, leaving West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United to battle it out for fourth.

On Saturday, United are set to welcome the Hammers to Old Trafford in what promises to be a fascinating shootout with their top-four rivals, before Tottenham gear up for one of their toughest tests of the season away at Chelsea 24 hours later.

The battle to secure Champions League football should take a significant turn over the weekend, and ahead of those fixtures Sportsmail has broken down West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal and United's chances of sneaking into fourth.

Manchester United's clash with West Ham on Saturday could be key in the top-four race

Tottenham also have a difficult outing in store away at London rivals Chelsea 24 hours later

How the race for the top four in the Premier League is shaping up ahead of the weekend 

West Ham - Top-four odds: 15/2  (odds from Sportsbook SBK)

While they currently occupy the all-important fourth spot, David Moyes' men only sit one point clear of Spurs, who have three games-in-hand on their fellow London club.

Arsenal, who have two-games-in-hand, and United, who have one, are also only two points behind.

As a result, defeat for West Ham at Old Trafford would prove a major blow in their bid for Champions League qualification. The bookies have them at evens to do so, 14/5 to claim a draw and 3/1 to come away with a win.

The Hammers are not in the best of form right now, having suffered two defeats in their last five matches heading into Saturday's match.

The odds are against David Moyes' Hammers winning the race for Champions League football

Injuries to key defenders have left them looking slightly more vulnerable at the back than usual in recent games, with only one clean sheet under their belt in the past six weeks.

They also have one of the toughest run-ins between now and the end of the season, with trips to Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea in store, as well as home fixtures against Arsenal and Man City.

Add to that the remainder of their Europa League campaign, which resumes in March, and the odds are somewhat stacked against West Ham keeping hold of fourth place. 

Tottenham - Top-four odds: 9/5

Since his arrival at the start of November, Spurs have avoided defeat in each of Antonio Conte's first nine league outings, taking 21 points from a possible 27 and boosting their top-four chances in the process.

It has generally been an encouraging start for the Italian despite some wretched performances in the Carabao Cup and Europa Conference League, meaning if they come away from Stamford Bridge on Sunday with a result he will fancy his chances of taking fourth.

A victory at the home of their London rivals would drag Chelsea into the top-four dogfight, yet Conte will know a point is good enough for his side and likely set them up in a way to ensure they take it.

Spurs are unbeaten in the Premier League since Antonio Conte took charge in November

The north London club are well positioned to mount a serious top-four challenge under Conte

In terms of their schedule, Spurs still have tricky outings away at City, United and Liverpool to come, while they also have to welcome West Ham to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, after being dumped out of the Europa Conference League they have no European competitions to worry about, which means Conte's men will not have to stomach any long-winded trips across the continent.

The bookies believe there is a 9/2 chance of them running out winners at Chelsea on Sunday, while a draw and a defeat is priced at 3/1 and 8/11 respectively.

Arsenal - Top-four odds: 17/8

Mikel Arteta has pulled Arsenal back on track since they suffered consecutive defeats against Man United and Everton at the start of December, winning their next four matches and only losing in the dying seconds at home to Man City.

Arsenal are in decent form and have the easiest run-in of any side until the end of the season

They will be watching on closely with at least one of their closest top-four rivals set to drop points when United face West Ham, but they will also be hoping for a Chelsea win over Spurs to ensure their north London rivals don't open up a four-point gap.

If other results go their way in the coming weeks, Arteta will be in with a serious chance of sealing Arsenal's long-awaited return to the Champions League after a five-year absence.

They have the easiest run-in out of the four teams vying for fourth, with West Ham away and United at home their only matches against top-seven opposition.

The Gunners also have no other competitions to focus on after crashing out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in recent weeks, and having not qualified for a European tournament this term.

In their next four games, they come up against three teams who currently sit in the bottom seven, which could allow them to build momentum at a pivotal stage of the campaign.  

Manchester United - Top-four odds: 2/1

It has been an underwhelming season for United, who had ambitions of challenging for the title at the start of the year and now find themselves scrapping it out for Champions League qualification. 

Ralf Rangnick has had mixed results since taking the interim reins in December; sluggish performances and reports of discontent behind the scenes have raised concern in recent weeks, but he has only lost one of his first seven games at the helm.

The German has recorded four wins in that time, keeping them in the top-four picture by the skin of their teeth heading into the second half of the season.

Nevertheless, Spurs and Arsenal can pull clear of them by winning their respective games-in-hand, while West Ham will move five ahead with a victory at Old Trafford on Saturday - albeit having played an extra match.

Man United have a tough run-in and remain in the hunt for top four by the skin of their teeth

United therefore cannot afford to lose further ground against the Hammers, especially given their challenging run-in between now and the end of the season.

Rangnick still has to take his side away to neighbours Man City, bitter rivals Liverpool and top-four foes Arsenal. There are also home fixtures against Spurs and Chelsea to come, the latter of which takes place on the penultimate weekend.

Throw in their FA Cup campaign and a Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid, and it's fair to say United will have their work cut out winning the race for fourth.