How Arsenal can still qualify for the Champions League in top four battle with Liverpool and Manchester City

The top four permutations ahead of the final Premier League weekend

Jack de Menezes
Wednesday 17 May 2017 09:26 BST
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Wenger will be disappointed to miss out on the striker
Wenger will be disappointed to miss out on the striker

Arsenal kept their faint top four hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over relegated Sunderland on Tuesday night, but Arsene Wenger knows his side’s fate lies in the hands of others even if they win their final Premier League match this weekend.

The 2016/17 Premier League season will draw to a close this weekend with the final round of fixtures, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all battling for the two remaining Champions League places in the top four, while Manchester United’s hopes lie solely with the Europa League final after they were guaranteed a sixth place finish.

With City, Liverpool and Arsenal now having all played 37 games each, the three know exactly what they have to do this weekend in order to secure their place at Europe’s top table next season, with the unlucky side that finishes in fifth destined for the Europa League.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League would prove a huge disappointment for Pep Guardiola in his first year in the Premier League, although City sit in the box seat knowing that a defeat is still likely to see them finish in the top four as long as they maintain a superior goal difference than Arsenal, with the Citizens currently holding a five-goal advantage.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are not to safe, but can still guarantee their place in the top four with a win over Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. If they draw or suffer defeat, the door will be open for Arsenal to steal in and secure a top-four finish for the 21st consecutive season under Wenger.

Here’s how the final weekend will play out.

Manchester City need:

A win over Watford will guarantee them third and a place in the Champions League group stage.

A draw will guarantee a top-four finish, with a Liverpool victory seeing the two split by goal difference for third and fourth.

A loss means that City need Arsenal to fail to win, or retain their superior goal difference.

Liverpool need:

A win over Middlesbrough and City to lose to guarantee third and a place in the Champions League group stage, or City to draw and Liverpool to beat Middlesbrough by four goals.

A draw or defeat and hope that Arsenal fail to beat Everton to finish fourth and enter the Champions League play-offs.

Klopp will hope to beat Middlesbrough and end Arsenal's chances 

Arsenal need:

A win over Everton and hope Liverpool fail to beat Middlesbrough, or hope that City lose by two goals and Arsenal beat Everton by three goals.

A draw with Everton and hope Liverpool lose to Middlesbrough by three goals.

Final Premier League fixtures:

Arsenal vs Everton

Liverpool vs Middlesbrough

Watford vs Manchester City

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