The race for Champions League football next season is going down to the wire with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all set to battle it out against their respective opponents on Sunday at 3pm in a bid to finish in the top four.

So, what do we know going into the final showdown this weekend?

Arsenal need a minor miracle

I’m not a pessimist by any stretch but the odds aren’t exactly in Arsenal’s favour to pull this off.

City are currently in third with 75 points (+36 goal difference); Liverpool are fourth with 73 (+33 GD), and Arsenal are fifth with 72 (+31 GD).

Therefore, to get into the top four, the Gunners would have to win their match by over five goals while City lost, or draw, as long as Liverpool lost by over two goals.

Who & where

Arsenal face Everton at the Emirates, who they lost 2-1 against in December.

Mentally, this will probably be huge for the players, since it was this loss at Goodison Park that appeared to send the wheels spinning off in all directions.

Plus Everton are in seventh. They’re hardly small fry.

Liverpool play Middlesbrough at Anfield.

Boro have already been relegated and Jurgen Klopps’ reds beat them 3-0 back in December.

City travel to the Watford, a team who they previously beat 2-0 at the Etihad and who have narrowly escaped relegation this season.

Form

Based on form, Arsenal are actually in the strongest position with 12 points from their last 15. City have 11; Liverpool have 10.

What’s more is that Everton aren’t currently doing too well, having only won two out of their last five Premier League fixtures.

Saying this, Boro have only won once and the Hornets have lost all five of their last five… fantastic…

crying gif 2

Mental strength

Wenger will talk about mental strength regardless of whether Arsenal finish in the top four or not.

If the Gunners manage to somehow get a Champions League spot, he’ll praise the teams’ mental strength because they came back from disaster and showed everyone.

If they don’t, it’ll most likely be by one point, which isn’t that bad, he could argue, and, if Arsenal beat Everton, they did everything they could after the results were out of their hands… #MentalStrength

The hope will in fact kill us

You know it’s going to happen, I know it’s going to happen, Arsene Wenger knows it’s going to happen.

Liverpool will go 1-0 down to Boro and the relegated side will hold them to it until about 10 minutes before the end.

Arsenal will then go 1-0 ahead against the Toffees. It’ll take about 47 shots but Alexis Sanchez will manage to bounce it in off Rob Holding’s backside.

All 20 fans are the Emirates will be going wild, I’ll be getting spit on my computer screen, it will be amazing!

But in the last minute, Liverpool will bring the scoreline back to level terms and the Gunners will be screwed on goal difference.