Former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere thinks Arsenal will finish above Tottenham Hotspur this season and make it into the Champions League qualification places.
As it stands, there are two top-four places up for grabs, with four teams competing for them. Tottenham Hotspur sit on 61 points, Arsenal one behind on 60, Manchester United on 58 and Chelsea on 57. Arsenal are the form team right now though, with four wins in five, only drawing one game against Spurs in unfortunate circumstances.
Spurs’ form is the complete opposite story, with just one win in five. As a result, Aliadiere thinks Arsenal can overcome the one-point deficit and finish above their North London rivals by the end of the season.
“I believe so, yeah, I think they will,” Aliadiere said. “I think they will finish in the top four – I don’t know if they will be third or fourth – but I think, in my opinion, it is the safest bet of them playing Champions League.
“I just think the Europa League is tough. I know they are in the quarter-finals, but I still think beating Napoli over two legs will be tough. You’ve still got Chelsea in it and I think putting all your eggs in that basket [winning the Europa League] will be difficult.
“I do think as well, they’ve got the easiest run compared to the other top teams. But, as you know, playing away at teams like Burnley won’t be easy games. And sometimes you think, you’ve got an easier game but it’s never easy at the end of the season.”
Despite Spurs currently having the lead in the top four race, Manchester United seem much more likely to be the team to watch out for. Arsenal may have beaten them in the last round of fixtures, but every other team is struggling to get a result against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are both out of form and in the worst starting position. They also have Liverpool and United left to play, so Maurizio Sarri may well be better off focusing on the Europa League. Let’s hope Aliadiere is right and Arsenal won’t have to worry about winning that competition themselves.