NO THIS is not just a knee jack reaction to their impressive draw at home to Manchester United, but Leicester City look very much like they would be in the Top 4, going into the New Year when half of the season must have gone!

The Foxes look in very good fettle as they currently sit joint first with favourites Manchester City on 29 points. Looking at their remaining fixtures till end of this year, Leicester look like they would be in 3^rd position!

The Foxes are one of the least busy teams in December with only five league matches to concentrate on. And because four of those five EPL matches are against some of the big boys in the league, I reckon Leicester would chalk a meager 7 points from the 15 available. But that will still be good enough to place Claudio Ranieri’s wards perched in 3^rd position on 36 point, just two adrift of current leaders Manchester City who I think would maintain their lofty position till the end of the year.

I reckon Manchester United will climb to second place ahead of the Foxes and just a solitary point adrift of their city rivals.

All order positions in the Top 10 would remain as they are now with only Everton swapping positions with West Ham United who should drop to ninth.

To reach the above conclusions, I have carefully considered fixtures congestion (with Man City and Liverpool the worst hit as they each play seven matches in 30 days), the quality of oppositions and the teams current forms.

Of course, these are mere speculations, and I have provided for you below the schedule of the current Top 10 teams to aid you in your prediction exercise. Note my projected position and points haul by December 30 are put in the bracket for each club:

MAN CITY (38POINTS, 1^ST)

Tue 01/12/15 C1C v Hull City (H)                              
Sat 05/12/15 EPL v Stoke City (A)                                             
Tue 08/12/15 UCL v M’gladbach (H)                       
Sat 12/12/15 EPL v Swansea (H)                                
Mon 21/12/15 EPL v Arsenal (A)               
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Sunderland (H)                          
Tue 29/12/15 EPL v Leicester (A)

LEICESTER (36 POINTS, 3^RD)

Sat 05/12/15 EPL v Swansea City A
Mon 14/12/15 EPL v Chelsea H                 
Sat 19/12/15 EPL v Everton A     
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Liverpool A  
Tue 29/12/15 EPL v Man City H

MANUNITED (37 POINTS, 2^ND)

Sat 05/12/15 EPL v West Ham H                               
Tue 08/12/15 UCL v Wolfsburg A             
Sat 12/12/15 EPL v Bournemouth A         
Sat 19/12/15 EPL v Norwich H                    
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Stoke A
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v Chelsea H

ARSENAL (35 POINTS, 4^TH)

Sat 05/12/15 EPL v Sunderland H                             
Wed 09/12/15 UCL v Olympiakos A
Sun 13/12/15 EPL v Villa A                           
Mon 21/12/15 EPL v Man City H               
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Southampton A         
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v Bournemouth H

TOTTENHAM (34 POINTS, 5^TH)

Sat 05/12/15 EPL v West Brom A
Thu 10/12/15 UEL v Monaco H                  
Sun 13/12/15 EPL v Newcastle H
Sat 19/12/15 EPL v Southampton A         
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Norwich H
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v Watford A

LIVERPOOL (32 POINTS, 6^TH)

Wed 02/12/15 C1C v Southampton A     
Sun 06/12/15 EPL v Newcastle A
Thu 10/12/15 UEL v Sion A          
Sun 13/12/15 EPL v West Brom H
Sun 20/12/15 EPL v Watford A
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Leicester H                  
Wed 30/12/15 EPL v Sunderland A

CRYSTAL PALACE (31 POINTS, 7^TH)

Mon 07/12/15 EPL v Everton A  
Sat 12/12/15 EPL v Southampton H                         
Sat 19/12/15 EPL v Stoke A                          
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Bournemouth A
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v Swansea H

WEST HAM (28 POINTS, 9^TH)

Sat 05/12/15 EPL v Man United A             
Sat 12/12/15 EPL v Stoke City H                
Sun 20/12/15 EPL v Swansea A                  
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Villa A            
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v Southampton H

EVERTON (30 POINTS, 8^TH)

Tue 01/12/15 C1C v Middlesbrough A    
Mon 07/12/15 EPL v Palace H                    
Sat 12/12/15 EPL v Norwich A
Sat 19/12/15 EPL v Leicester H  
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Newcastle A
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v Stoke H

SOUTHAMPTON (27 POINTS, 10^TH)

Wed 02/12/15 C1C v Liverpool H                             
Sat 05/12/15 EPL v Villa H                            
Sat 12/12/15 EPL v Palace A
Sat 19/12/15 EPL v Tottenham H                              
Sat 26/12/15 EPL v Arsenal H
Mon 28/12/15 EPL v West Ham A

If my projections hold true, then the league table will continue to be as tight as we have it now where there is no noticeable point gap among teams. As statisticians often do, I will make an allowance of plus or minus two points (+ or -2points) for each of the teams.

Of course, you’re very welcome to disagree with me. Why not make your own end of the year projection and let’s compare note on December 31?