Premier League State of Play - Where all 20 teams stand heading into the post-World Cup restart as Manchester City and Arsenal get ready to resume the title race

The Premier League is back. England's top flight gets underway after the winter World Cup as the nation's attention turns back to club football. 

Ahead of the resumption, BTSport.com have taken a look at where all 20 teams stand heading into the Premier League restart.

1st - Arsenal

Points: 37, Games Played: 14

The first half of the season had Arsenal fans dreaming of a clinching the Premier League title for the first time in 18 years as The Gunners sit five points clear of Manchester City at the summit.

Arsenal supporters will be hoping momentum hasn't slowed during the month break for the World Cup but the biggest concern will be the serious injury sustained to star No 9 Gabriel Jesus during Brazil's defeat to Cameroon.

The Brazilian will not return until at least March and Mikel Arteta will be relying on Eddie Nketiah to carry the title charge for Arsenal's taple-toppers.

2nd - Manchester City

Points: 32, Games Played: 14

Despite currently sitting five points off Arsenal in second place, many have already crowned Manchester City the champions elect for this campaign given how Pep Guardiola's juggernaut has claimed four of the last five titles on offer.

With Erling Haaland set to have the highest goalscoring season in Premier League history, few would bet against it but Guardiola will be wary of a World Cup hangover with so many of his stars involved deep into the tournament with their nations.

Following matches against Leeds and Everton, the games in January are a real test of Man City's title mettle as Guardiola's men prepare to face Chelsea, Manchester United - live on BT Sport and Tottenham in three successive clashes.

3rd - Newcastle

Points: 30, Games Played: 15

Newcastle find themselves in the lofty position of third after playing the role of the surprise packages in the Premier League this season.

Eddie Howe's men finished with five wins from five before the World Cup break and with Miguel Almiron in sparkling form in front of goal Newcastle supporters will be hoping Qatar hasn't thrown the Paraguayan off his stride.

With Leicester, Leeds, Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace up next, there's a real chance Newcastle can build up some further momentum as the top flight restarts.

4th - Tottenham

Points: 29, Games Played: 15

Tottenham were looking solid for a top-four spot but three defeats from five games has seen Antonio Conte's side tail off slightly and they are just three points ahead of Manchester United heading into the restart.

Spurs' main issue before Qatar were at the back with 21 goals conceded in 15 games played, more than any other team in the top eight, and Conte will be hoping Cristian Romero will be back as soon as possible after going all the way with Argentina.

Going forward Tottenham will hope Harry Kane doesn't take too long to get over his England penalty miss against France and gets back to scoring goals at club level.

5th - Manchester United

Points: 26, Games Played: 15

Erik ten Hag's start to life at Manchester United has hardly been plain-sailing. The Dutchman began with two defeats, including a 4-0 loss to Brentford, leaving some to predict he wouldn't last until Christmas.

However the former Ajax boss has shown his pedigree with an upturn in form and Man United now sit just three points off fourth spot after 15 games.

The big storyline is the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ten Hag has been praised for his management of the ageing superstar having not put up with his petulant outbursts behind the scenes.

Now Ronaldo is gone, however, the pressure will be on for Ten Hag to get the best from Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial in front of goal.

6th - Liverpool

Points: 22, Games Played: 14

It was a disastrous start to the season for Jurgen Klopp's men with just two Premier League wins recorded prior to mid-October that left them way off the pace.

But a shock victory over Manchester City sparked an upturn in form and Liverpool lost just once more until the start of the World Cup break.

Liverpool now find themselves only seven points off Tottenham in fourth and with a relatively easy run coming up, Klopp will be looking for The Reds to continue building on the form they left when the league broke for the World Cup.

7th - Brighton

Points: 21, Games Played: 14

Many feared for The Seagulls after Graham Potter swapped the south coast for west London to take over as Thomas Tuchel's replacement at Chelsea but Roberto De Zerbi has impressed since joining as Potter's replacement.

The Italian won two, drew one and lost one of his last four league matches heading into the World Cup break including what would have been a mightily satisfying 4-1 victory over Potter's Chelsea.

One man to watch, once he returns from Buenos Aires, is midfielder Alexis Mac Allister who played a starring role for Argentina as they won the 2022 World Cup.

8th - Chelsea

Points: 21, Games Played: 14

It all tailed off for Graham Potter's Chelsea quite dramatically in October and November and The Blues may be one of the few teams grateful for the World Cup break to reboot and recharge.

No wins from five and three defeats from their last three Premier League matches meant Chelsea were dropping like a stone and Potter will need to discover the best formula to get them firing again up front.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is drawing a blank while Kai Havertz up front doesn't appear to be working either. The news of a long-term injury to Armando Broja has only made matters worse and it looks to be a stern test of Potter's coaching to get a team with the fewest goals in the top half of the league back on track.

9th - Fulham

Points: 19, Games Played: 15

Fulham have certainly exceeded expectations in a campaign which has seen Marco Silva's men bring an entertaining brand of football to the Premier League. 

The summer recruitment has been far more successful than in recent top-flight seasons, with the acquisitions of midfield destroyer Joao Palhinha and Manchester United castaway Andreas Pereira proving inspired, while Bernd Leno has been extremely reliable between the sticks and Willian has sprinkled some stardust out on the left. 

Quality cover is needed in both full-back areas, as well as in defensive midfield and up front, but as long as talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic remains fit and in form, the Cottagers should have enough to right the wrongs of previous campaigns and survive. 

10th - Brentford

Points: 19, Games Played: 15

The Bees were buzzing before Qatar as Thomas Frank helped guide the west Londoners to 10th in the table before the World Cup break but there's a big problem on the horizon.

Ivan Toney is expected to be handed a lengthy ban after breaching betting protocols repeatedly and it means Frank will be left with a major headache should the star striker be unavailable for selection.

The former Newcastle forward has netted 11 of Brentford's 23 Premier League goals this season. The next highest scorers? Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa on three apiece.

11th - Crystal Palace

Points: 19, Games Played: 14

Patrick Vieira is quietly doing an effective job down on the south coast and the good work has continued into his second season at Selhurst Park as they sit firmly in mid table ahead of the restart.

With Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise, Odsonne Edouard and the fully fit Eberechi Eze at his disposal though, fans will be hoping for a little more production in front of goal than the 15 goals from 14 games they've managed thus far.

The chance to up that total beckons, with Fulham and Bournemouth on the horizon before a test of Vieira's mettle against an out-of-sorts Chelsea side.

12th - Aston Villa

Points: 18, Games Played: 15

That Unai Emery left Villarreal, where he'd won the Europa League, to take over at Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard's replacement shows just how strongly the Spaniard felt he had unfinished business in England.

It appears to have been a masterstroke based off an extremely small sample size with wins over Manchester United and Brighton for Emery to begin his Villa career.

Often labelled as playing too negatively during his unsuccessful spell at Arsenal, Emery will look to get the best out of the attacking players at his disposal with Danny Ings, Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins all raring to go.

13th - Leicester

Points: 17, Games Played: 15

It took until October 20 for Leicester to lift themselves off the bottom of the Premier League table with a win over Leeds after what was a truly horrific start to the campaign.

But despite that horrible beginning to the season, Brendan Rodgers has steered The Foxes back to some stability and eased the pressure on himself in the King Power hotseat after briefly being named as the favourite to get the sack.

James Maddison is back firing and having not played a minute for England in Qatar, Rodgers will be hoping his star attacking midfielder can pick up where he left off for Leicester when the Premier League resumes.

14th - Bournemouth

Points: 16, Games Played: 15

Written off as relegation certainties after Scott Parker was fired just four games into the Premier League season following a 9-0 humiliation to Liverpool at Anfield, Bournemouth have steadied the ship under Gary O'Neil.

The caretaker boss spent 12 matches at the helm following Parker's departure and having won four, drawn four and lost four of those games, was handed an 18-month deal to become the new Bournemouth coach.

The Cherries were involved in some seriously high-scoring matches heading into the World Cup break with a 3-2 loss to Tottenham, a 4-3 defeat to Leeds and a 3-0 win over Everton. O'Neill will be hoping for a far less topsy-turvy spell starting on December 27 when his side take on Chelsea.

15th - Leeds

Points: 15, Games Played: 14

It was all doom and gloom at Elland Road towards the end of October with rumours swirling that Jesse Marsch would be dismissed from his post. 

But the American, on the brink, oversaw two remarkable victories as two back-to-back late winners from Crysensio Summerville saw Leeds see off Bournemouth 4-3 and Liverpool 2-1 to lift them away from the drop zone.

Rodrigo has been the man in form in front of goal for Leeds with nine goals in the Premier League but the problems have been at the back where the Yorkshiremen have leaked 26 in just 14 games. Tightening up the defence will be March's mission.

16th - West Ham

Points: 14, Games Played: 15

West Ham fans are becoming disgruntled with both the results and the uninspiring style of play under David Moyes. 

Only Everton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves have scored fewer than the Irons this term, but Moyes was recently pessimistic about the chances of the squad being strengthened in January as the east Londoners look to arrest a run of three straight league defeats. 

Thilo Kehrer and Lucas Paqueta have been the most impressive summer buys and their quality will be needed over the coming weeks with Kurt Zouma and Maxwel Cornet out of the game against Arsenal, while Nayef Aguerd, Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio and big-money striker Gianluca Scamacca all doubts for the fixture. 

17th - Everton

Points: 14, Games Played: 15

Favourites with some bookmakers to be the next coach to lose his job, Frank Lampard's position at Goodison Park is looking increasingly precarious and the Chelsea legend will have welcomed the World Cup break if only for some respite.

Everton are teetering just a point above the drop zone after a run of five defeats in seven Premier League games including against relegation rivals Leicester and Bournemouth.

The Toffees will hope to welcome back striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin into the fold for Monday's return to action against Wolves. As the joint second-lowest scorers in the league, Everton will need him if they are to get out of this mess.

18th - Nottingham Forest

Points: 13, Games Played: 15

Things are looking up to Nottingham Forest and Steve Cooper after eight points from a possible 15 before the World Cup break, including priceless 1-0 wins over Liverpool and Crystal Palace and a late equaliser against Brentford. 

A massive influx of players over the summer inevitably attracted attention, but Cooper showed in previous games that rotation doesn't necessarily lead to inconsistency, with three clean sheets in six games an illustration of this approach.

Morgan Gibbs-White may never justify his £42m transfer fee, but the 22-year-old is starting to show the sort of flair that saw him rip up the Championship with Sheffield United last season and will be a pivotal player for the Tricky Trees in the coming months. 

19th - Southampton

Points: 12, Games Played: 15

Southampton find themselves in serious trouble as they prepare to kick their campaign back off with a Boxing Day clash against Brighton sitting 19th and two points off safety.

The Saints were fielding some extremely inexperienced players in the starting XI, who while boasting plenty of potential, are learning on the job as Southampton struggle.

New coach Nathan Jones will need some of Southampton's more experienced campaigners such as skipper James Ward-Prowse, Che Adams and on-loan Arsenal man Ainsley Maitland-Niles to help steady the ship and lift them out of the drop zone.

20th - Wolves

Points: 10, Games Played: 15

Julen Lopetegui's first managerial role in England is a baptism of fire as Wolves look to begin their survival mission at Everton on Boxing Day. 

Despite the Black Country side's increasingly porous defence, it is in attack where the team have been sorely lacking, scoring just eight times, the lowest figure in the league. 

Lopetegui will need to get Goncalo Guedes firing against the Toffees in the absence of Diego Costa due to suspension, while Pedro Neto won't be back in training until the end of January. The Spaniard will be the toast of Molineux if he can keep his new employers up.