The race for the Champions League has taken a copious amount of twists and turns this season, creating drama at every avenue. However, Sunday will finally decide who will finish fourth between Arsenal and Tottenham.
The Gunners had the initiative for most of the year, however recent results have seen them slip to fifth heading into the final game. Mikel Arteta ’s side needed to win their two remaining fixtures to secure fourth, however a limp 2-0 defeat away at Newcastle dashed that prospect.
Discussing the performance after, a furious Arteta said: “Really disappointed. Normally I sit here, I can defend what we've done. Today it's not easy. Newcastle were 100 times better than us in every department from the beginning to the end and it is very hard to accept.”
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As for Spurs, it comes as a boost for them, as they sit two points clear of their North London rivals. A point on Sunday against Norwich should be enough for the Lilywhites, with the Gunners needing a near-impossible 16-goal victory margin over Everton to claim fourth in that scenario.
Equally, with the clash against the already relegated Canaries, Antonio Conte’s men could put the result beyond any question of doubt with a win at Carrow Road, while a loss makes them vulnerable to dropping into fifth. However unlikely that may be, the race for the top four has proven not to be a foregone conclusion.
Given the huge swing from Monday’s result, predictors FiveThirtyEight have the odds stacked massively in Tottenham’s favour. They’ve given Spurs a 96 percent chance of finishing in fourth this season, while Arsenal have a mere four percent chance of doing the same.
Despite that, it remains a one-game shootout, meaning anything can happen. The two sides have been inconsistent throughout the season, so the battle is far from over until the final whistle of the final fixture is blown.
