Arsenal are on the verge of automatically qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages after beating Monaco. The Gunners still have two European group stage fixtures left with both of those arriving in 2025 against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring in the first half as he turned home Gabriel Jesus' low cross at the back post after the latter missed several good chances with Martin Odegaard also guilty of squandering an opportunity. Arsenal were not made to pay for those however with Saka doubling his side's lead after capitalising on a defensive error.
As a result of their victory, Arsenal reside in third place on 13 points from six games with Barcelona and Liverpool above them in the table, with the latter runaway leaders. Having all won on Tuesday, the likes of Aston Villa, Brest and Bayer Leverkusen are also in great positions to finish in the top eight.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Lille and AC Milan have all picked up important wins this week to close the gap on the teams located at the summit.
Dortmund and Barcelona meanwhile, played out a thrilling five goal-thriller as the latter left Germany with all three points. A defeat for Dortmund has opened the door for a team like Juventus to take advantage after they inflicted further pain on Manchester City by beating the reigning Premier League champions 2-0 in Italy.
Joining Pep Guardiola's side near the bottom are Paris Saint-Germain with both clubs in danger of not even securing a play-off spot. Those two teams also face off on the next matchday with it therefore very likely one is left in a precarious position.
Holders Real Madrid, now in 20th, have alleviated any major concerns over their position after beating Atalanta 3-2 on Tuesday. Given how close the standings are, PSG could theoretically still catch Arsenal despite the fact there is six points and 20 places between them.
Though Arsenal have won four out of six Champions League games, with only two fixtures remaining, the Gunners will want to win both of these to guarantee their place among the top eight especially as only three points separate eighth and nineteenth.
If results go their way, Arsenal could confirm their position on the next matchday, but that would require a number of teams to drop points in January. It is actually very difficult to figure out what the Gunners need but it is clear a fourth victory has put them in a very strong place.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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