Arsenal faces a tough three weeks but is poised to return to next season’s Champions League after exiting at the semifinal stage on Thursday morning (Malaysian time).
The Gunners face Liverpool and Newcastle over the next two Sundays, before wrapping up the season against bottom-placed Southampton.
Arsenal needs only three points to be certain of finishing in the top five, but it would be scant consolation after its last chance for a trophy ended when Paris St-Germain (PSG) defeated it in the semifinals of the Champions League.
It is the fifth straight season that the Gunners have not won a trophy, and pressure is mounting on Mikel Arteta (main image), who insisted the best side lost in Paris – despite evidence to the contrary.
After exiting the League Cup and FA Cup, Arsenal fell away in the EPL as Liverpool ran away with the title. Europe was its last chance for glory, but the 3-1 aggregate loss to PSG means Arteta has some soul-searching to do as he heads into his seventh season as the Gunners’ manager.
Arsenal is still second in the EPL but can’t afford to drop any more points.
As it stands, Liverpool has 82 points, Arsenal 67, Manchester City 64, and Newcastle and Chelsea on 63 points. Two points further back is Nottingham Forest, with Aston Villa on 60.
While English clubs have exited the Champions League, three of them – Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea – have reached the finals of the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Manchester United will face Tottenham on May 22 (3am), while Chelsea takes on Spain’s Real Betis a week later.
Although struggling in the Premier League – Manchester United is 15th and Tottenham a rung below – the winner of the Europa League final will earn a ticket to the Champions League.
It means that for the first time in the tournament’s history, a country would have six clubs in the draw.
Fixtures (Malaysian time)
May 10
Southampton vs Manchester City (10pm)
Fulham vs Everton (10pm)
Wolves vs Brighton (10pm)
Ipswich vs Brentford (10pm)
May 11
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa (12.30am)
Newcastle vs Chelsea (7pm)
Manchester United vs West Ham (9.15pm)
Nottingham Forest vs Leicester (9.15pm)
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace (9.15pm)
Liverpool vs Arsenal (11.30pm)
