football.london

How many points Arsenal need to qualify for the Champions League with clear advantage

Arsenal's attention in the Premier League will now turn towards European qualification, after their disappointment of missing out on the title. The Gunners have been battling Liverpool for the Premier League title all season, having finished second to Manchester City in each of the previous two campaigns.

Mikel Arteta and his squad are now 15 points behind Liverpool in the table, with four matches left to play, with the Merseyside outfit confirmed as champions of England for the 20th time last weekend.

Now that the title is gone for Arsenal, and other sides, the attention will now turn towards winning the Champions League instead. After a 1-0 first-leg loss to Paris Saint-Germain, the Gunners face an uphill task to reach this month's final and win their first major European trophy.

Arsenal will strive to have Champions League football back at the Emirates Stadium for next season, and have two pathways to get into the marquee competition. One way is for the Gunners to win the tournament this year, which would require them to beat PSG over two legs and then either Barcelona or Inter Milan in the final.

The other way is via their position in the Premier League table. Owing to English clubs' performance in Europe, this term, the top five clubs in the table qualify for next season's competition.

Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League standings and have a seven-point lead over Nottingham Forest in sixth position.

With four matches left to play and 12 points left to play for, two wins or six points would be enough for Arsenal to guarantee that Champions League football returns to the Emirates Stadium next season.

Of course, that total could be less if Forest or fifth-placed Chelsea, who are level on points, either draw or lose any of their remaining fixtures.

Forest and Chelsea will both go head-to-head in the last match-up of the season, meaning at least one if not both clubs will drop points in this fixture. This would therefore increase Arsenal's chance of qualifying for the Champions League, meaning just four points could be enough to finish in the top-five.

It's also possible that Arsenal may already have enough points - if either Forest or Chelsea don't get six points from their final four matches.

Sign up for Arsenal news direct to your email inbox

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal face a crucial January transfer window if they want to push Liverpool for the title and you can stay up to date with every breaking news story, opinion and more...

By signing up to our newsletter here, you'll make sure you receive the best Gunners content including news, rumours, articles and fan opinions - direct into your inbox and all for free!

We also want to hear from you. Create an account here in just a few moments, so you can have your say on all things Arsenal, join the debate and take part in exclusive Q&As as well.

Read full news in source page