Do Arsenal still have a chance of finishing above Tottenham this season?
With just one game remaining in the Premier League season, Arsenal are on the back foot of finishing above Spurs. It is the first time Arsenal look unlikely to finish above their North London rivals in 20 years. However those from down the lane have not been able to celebrate their equivalent of Arsenal’s St Totteringhams Day just yet, as the Gunners can still mathematically overtake them on the final day of the season.
Arsenal currently sit two points behind Tottenham, but they have a much better goal difference than the Gunners. Whilst Arsenal face Aston Villa at home, Spurs travel to newly regulated Newcastle United. Prior to their official relegation last night, I thought that Arsenal had a really strong chance of overhauling Tottenham into second place. This was because Newcastle would have needed the three points on the final day to gain safety, however with relegation since confirmed, will the Magpies still be up to the challenge?
Fingers crossed, Arsenal should have no issues beating Aston Villa Sunday and so should definitely secure third place in front of Manchester City. Should Newcastle put on a show to mark their final outing the in Premier League, hopefully they can grab an unlikely win over Spurs, allowing Arsenal to leapfrog them.
Prior to the Manchester City game last Sunday, Arsenal right back Hector Bellerin had some positive words about fighting for second place. Bellerin told the London Evening Standad: “As an Arsenal player there is always that motivation [to beat Tottenham]. It’s something the fans would probably be looking forward to. As players, we need to fight for it as well.
“It doesn’t only depend on us of course. We know they have their games to play and have to win them as well so we’ll do our end of the job and we’re going to hope for the best.”
It seems the Arsenal players are definitely up for the fight going into the last game, but it all relies on how Newcastle perform against Tottenham. With a few absentees from the Spurs squad, and a poor run of form in the last few games, Arsenal fans can hope that we can secure the unlikely on Sunday. We’ve done it before, we can do it again Gunners!
Do you think Arsenal will leapfrog their rivals into second place this Sunday or do you think the Gunners will remain in third position? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
By AH