In the space of a month, Arsenal have seen two potential routes for a return to European competition next season close.
Of course, the Gunners find themselves in a good position to achieve this goal via their Premier League finish this season.
They are currently just two points off Manchester United in the race for fourth and have just as good a chance as West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur to seal a return to the Champions League.
But if Arsenal miss out on top-four, finishing no lower than seventh should confirm a place in either the Europa League or Europa Conference League.
In a perfect scenario, the north London outfit would be one game away from being back in Europe next season had they beaten Liverpool to reach the Carabao Cup final.
This is because as explained by the Premier League, the EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) winners qualify for the play-off stages of UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL).
So if Arsenal were facing Chelsea at Wembley Stadium at the end of the month, instead of Liverpool, and Mikel Arteta's side emerged victorious, then European football would have been guaranteed at the Emirates Stadium next season no matter the final Premier League table.
Although, as the Reds and the Blues will contest this season's Carabao Cup final, it can be good news for the Gunners.
Should the winners of the Liverpool vs Chelsea game also qualify for the Champions League via their position in the top-flight of English football, then the UECL place drops to the next eligible team in the division.
As a result, there could be six teams from England in European competition next season.
With that said, the UECL place could go to the team that finishes seventh as long as the FA Cup AND League Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League table.
In this scenario, the sixth-placed team will enter Europa League and the reward for finishing seventh is a spot in the Europa Conference League.
Arsenal actually benefited from a similar scenario in the 2019-20 season, as after an eighth-placed finish it was their FA Cup win that sealed qualification into the Europa League group stage for the following campaign and caused Wolves to miss out.
Currently, only Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Everton can repeat what the Gunners did as none of the trio are expected to finish in the top-five this season.
One team that won't be winning the FA Cup this season is Manchester United following their surprise exit at the hands of Folarin Balogun and Middlesbrough on Friday night.
This could have posed a major problem for the Gunners, but with Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham and Spurs still in the competition and on course for a top-five finish, the Red Devils' defeat doesn't change things all that much.
Therefore finishing no lower than seventh this season should be enough for Arteta to get his wish of ensuring the north London outfit doesn't suffer the pain of another season without playing in Europe.
"It hurts a lot in the last few days to put TV on and see those teams there, and not see Arsenal there," the Spaniard admitted during his press conference ahead of the 1-0 win over Burnley in September.
"It was painful. One hundred per cent. I don't want to be sitting there with Arsenal out of those competitions."
