Second-place Arsenal and third-place Newcastle United will both be looking to potentially seal their places in the UEFA Champions League next season when they meet Sunday in their penultimate league match in North London.
Arsenal (18-4-14, 68 points) enter the weekend virtually assured of UCL qualification. Technically it’s not guaranteed yet, but it would take two losses by the Gunners, two wins from Nottingham Forest, and the latter somehow gaining an absurd 22 goals on Arsenal in terms of goal differential.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is framing the occasion as a chance to solidify a second-place finish, which would be virtually guaranteed with a victory based on Arsenal’s superior goal difference over fourth-place Manchester City (65 points). The Cityzens don’t play their 37th game until Tuesday.
“It’s been a phenomenal effort from all of them, understanding the circumstances,” Arteta said. “It’s our last home game, and it’s always a very special occasion. It’s our chance to wrap up the Champions League, to put ourselves in a really strong position for the second place, and in a way to say thank you again to all of our supporters for the amazing season.”
Newcastle (20-10-6, 66 points) come in tied in points with Chelsea and Aston Villa, the two clubs tied for the fifth and final UCL spot, and a four-point edge on Nottingham Forest.
But given the difficulty of facing the Gunners away, Magpies boss Eddie Howe is taking nothing for granted, even after the side swept both legs of their winter Leagues Cup semifinal against Arsenal.
“It’s not done yet. The picture can change game-to-game and I think we’ve got to be really focused on our next game and trying to win it,” Howe said. “Our preparation has been good and the focus is there from the players. Nothing is achieved until it’s achieved. We have to be single-minded in that, and not get distracted.”
It’s Newcastle in the better form, with only one loss in their last eight league matches, though Arsenal do have the credible excuse of balancing their run to this year’s UCL semifinals, where they lost to Paris-St. Germain.
They also may have Kai Havertz, who leads Arsenal with nine league goals despite not playing since early February could make his return from a hamstring tear, Arteta indicated this week.
For Newcastle, Alexander Isak will look for his third goal of the season against the Gunners in all competitions, His league total of 23 is second behind Mo Salah’s 28 for Liverpool.
-Field Level Media
