When Leicester City faced Sunderland on the opening day of the season, even their most optimistic fans were expecting another testing struggle to avoid relegation.
As they prepare to visit Sam Allardyce’s side in the return fixture on Sunday, some of those supporters are now pre-emptively buying scarves emblazoned with the words ‘Premier League Champions’.
While many are no doubt steering clear to avoid tempting fate, four victories from the remaining six games of the season will hand Leicester a maiden top flight title and complete one of the most remarkable fairytales in English soccer history.
Leicester lead second place Tottenham Hotspur by seven points heading into Sunday’s game and need 12 more to put themselves out of sight.
For the Leicester side that plunged to the foot of the table last season, four wins in six games might have seemed like a daunting task.
Yet such has been the collective sense of calm that seems to encircle Claudio Ranieri’s side this year that few are now expecting a collapse in the home straight.
The slip-ups and the wobbles have been reserved for the so-called bigger teams, who have all fallen off the pace while Leicester have sailed smoothly through the supposed choppy waters of the title run-in.
Four successive 1-0 victories have propelled Leicester to the verge of success and been testament to the organisational abilities of their Italian coach.
Leicester have never kept five consecutive clean sheets in the top flight, but, in a season when past records have counted for little, it would be a brave man, or perhaps a foolish one, to bet against another shut-out against Sunderland, whose relegation woes are intensifying.
Allardyce’s side are four points adrift of Norwich City in 17th and entering the now-or-never part of the season when they will have to start winning or become resigned to their fate.
Tottenham, whose hopes of catching Leicester were dented by their 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, could find themselves 10 points adrift of the leaders by the time they host Manchester United later on Sunday.
United are involved in a local battle with Manchester City for fourth place and the final Champions League qualification spot and would love nothing more than to salvage an inconsistent season by overhauling their rivals in the table.
City, buoyed by a gritty 2-2 draw at Paris St Germain in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, host West Bromwich Albion, who are comfortably placed in mid-table. Third place Arsenal, whose hopes of taking anything from the campaign look forlorn as they trail Leicester by 11 points, albeit with a game in hand, travel to West Ham United on Saturday.
“As long as it is mathematically possible, there is a strong chance,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said of the title chase in his pre-match press conference.
“Every game is tight.”
There’s plenty on the line for both Arsenal and West Ham at Upton Park.

Arsenal back Wilshere over alleged night-club incident
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has given Jack Wilshere his support after it was alleged the midfielder was involved in a late-night altercation at the weekend, saying the incident was “taken out of proportion”.
Media reports said the player was asked to leave a London nightclub at 2am on Sunday, with the Daily Mirror newspaper releasing footage showing him speaking to police.
“I have spoken to him (Wilshere),” Wenger told reporters ahead of Saturday’s London derby at sixth-placed West Ham United. “It looks to have been taken out of proportion a little bit.
“There was no training session the next day. You can accept that sometimes the players go out when they are free the next day, it’s not easy when you’re well-known today to go out anywhere without creating some provocations.”
Wilshere, who has 28 England caps but has endured a stop-start career punctuated by a number of injury problems, has been out of action since suffering a leg fracture in the close season.
The 24-year-old is getting back to fitness and is hoping to win a place in the England squad for the European Championship in France in June.
Wenger said the midfielder would play for Arsenal’s under-21s on Friday.
Describing Wilshere as a “football brain”, Wenger added that his injury history was the only thing standing in the way of his development.
“He’s very serious, very dedicated. The only thing that could stop him from having the career he can make is injuries,” said the Frenchman.
Wenger also refused to give up on the Premier League title even though his third-placed team trail leaders Leicester City by 11 points, albeit with a game in hand.
“They (Leicester) have been remarkably consistent but every game is very tight and that can go the other way as well,” Wenger said.
He also announced the club were in talks with promising youngster Alex Iwobi about a new contract.
“I think he (Iwobi) is a real Arsenal person because he has been here since the age of eight,” said Wenger.
“He has three years left (on his current deal) at the end of the season but of course we want to keep him here for longer.”