4th Champions League Spot

Dont Ban Me

So who do you think will get this? As an Arsenal fan I am hoping we win the competition and it wont matter but Im still optimistic that we can get it.

As Spurs have a tougher run in:
15 Apr Everton (A)
17 Apr Man. United (H)
22 Apr Arsenal (A)
30 Apr Bolton (H)
7 May West Ham (A)

Arsenals is:
15 Apr West Brom (H)
22 Apr Tottenham (H)
1 May Sunderland (A)
4 May Man. City (A)
7 May Wigan (H)

But also Blackburn are there too with games against:
16 Apr Liverpool (H)
19 Apr Birmingham (A)
29 Apr Charlton (A)
2 May Chelsea (H)
7 May Man. City (H)

p.pete

I'd say Blackburns is the toughest run in (mainly cos they're the only team needing to play Liverpool and also Chelsea).

The Arsenal v Spurs match is obviously hugely important, I think Arsenal have dropped the ball a bit in the last 2 games but still fancy them to pip it. Hopefully they win the competition though.

WhiteWashMan

Dont Ban Me wrote:

So who do you think will get this? As an Arsenal fan I am hoping we win the competition and it wont matter but Im still optimistic that we can get it.

As Spurs have a tougher run in:
15 Apr Everton (A)
17 Apr Man. United (H)
22 Apr Arsenal (A)
30 Apr Bolton (H)
7 May West Ham (A)

Arsenals is:
15 Apr West Brom (H)
22 Apr Tottenham (H)
1 May Sunderland (A)
4 May Man. City (A)
7 May Wigan (H)

But also Blackburn are there too with games against:
16 Apr Liverpool (H)
19 Apr Birmingham (A)
29 Apr Charlton (A)
2 May Chelsea (H)
7 May Man. City (H)

well, im thinking realistically, arsenal will get 11 points from their last 5 games. thats 3 wins and 2 draws.
if thats true, then we really need to get 8 points from our last 5 games.
and im thinking we can get that.

but who knows. exciting stuff. i nearly did lua lua backflips in my livingroom last night myself!

Guy:Incognito

I hope if Spurs finish 4th Arsenal dont win the CL. I'd like to see Spurs in it next season. If Arsenal get 4th, good luck to them in the CL final (if they are in it)

eirebhoy

Arsenal have an easy run in and I'd be suprised if they don't get 4th. Spurs have the toughest, Bolton is probably their easiest match which says it all.

Lemlin

Anything could happen TBH. Who would of thought earlier this year that Pompey would take points off Spurs and Blackburn?

I think Spurs is definitely a tougher run in than Blackburn's. Everton aren't the easiest of teams to start with either. Then they've Man United, Arsenal and Bolton.

Arsenal could drop points because they'll be restiong players for the CL and Blackburn have a tough run in too.

It'll be much clearer next Wednesday after Blackburn and Spurs have played twice over the weekend.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Absolutely but at this stage it is for spurs to throw it away, the 4th spot is in their own hands and they are only a couple of days away from alomist guaranteeing the position for themselves. Despite their current form I see Arsenal as the most likely to challenge Spurs, for fourth but I do not see them getting there. Personally I do not feel that either team has anything to fear from Blackburn who have a run in against 2 of the rems top three teams and relegation battlers who often at this stage of the season, try a little harder. (whereas if they tried harder all season they would not pbe in that position in the first place)

Atlas_IRL

i dont think Arsenal deserve to get it as they have been very poor for most of the season... Their experience of their older players will probably show though

PHB

Anything could happen TBH. Who would of thought earlier this year that Pompey would take points off Spurs and Blackburn?

Quite a few people.
The only easy games this year are those stuck in midtable mediocracy, inbetween the drop zone and the fight for europe. Those are the easy ones. Every other game is hardest, especially against the worst teams.

Necronomicon

As mentioned above, things will be clearer after the bank holiday weekend.
It's uncanny that we have an identical situation to last season, two local rivals battling it out for 4th spot while one still has the chance to get in via winning the competition. When UEFA revised their rules to make sure a similar thing didn't happen again I thought, "Well what are the odds it will happen again?".

At least this season, come what may, we won't have a million threads debating what UEFA should do!

I just had a look at the remaining fixtures that the OP posted. If I had to predict who was going to finish 4th by predicting each game, then I'd have Spurs to collect 8 points, Arsenal to get 11 and Blackburn to get 10. I think Spurs have the hardest run-in.
With those predictions, the table would look like:

1.

---

2.

---

3.

---

4. Spurs.........66
5. Arsenal.......65
6. Blackburn....64

SuprSi

Apart from this weekend, I think one important thing about the Arsenal v Spurs game is that Arsenal play on Wednesday night against Villareal and then before lunch against Spurs on the following Saturday, which isn't really much time to recover from a Champs League game. I'm surprised this hasn't been changed, but then again I suppose with so many games to be played in such as short space of time there's not really anywhere to move them.

If Spurs can come through with a win and a draw from the weekend, it'll make that Arsenal game absolutely huge. Needless to say I'm going to be riveted to the TV/Radio/Internet for the whole weekend!

therecklessone

Lemlin wrote:

Anything could happen TBH. Who would of thought earlier this year that Pompey would take points off Spurs and Blackburn?

Arsenal and Blackburn, Spurs took all 6 points.

So much depends on this weekend, with Spurs and Blackburn both playing a game more than Arsenal. Realistically, the best Spurs can hope for is 4 points from Everton and ManYoo, and I think Blackburn will drop points to Liverpool and also possibly Brum (think they'll get 2 points)

Assuming Arsenal thump WBA at home, that would leave Spurs 5 clear of Arsenal with Blackburn 1 point behind again, Arsenal with a game in hand on both. Highbury on the 22nd decides the race then. Spurs would need to win at Highbury to regain the initiative, but a win for either side would go a long way towards knocking Blackburn out of the race. [edit]scratch that, if they only get 2 points over the weekend and the rest of my predictions are correct, they'll be out of the race[/edit]

Interesting times.

My prediction for the table 22 April pre-derby:

Spurs p35 62pts
Arsenal p34 57pts
Blackburn p35 56pts

eirebhoy

SuprSi wrote:

Apart from this weekend, I think one important thing about the Arsenal v Spurs game is that Arsenal play on Wednesday night against Villareal and then before lunch against Spurs on the following Saturday, which isn't really much time to recover from a Champs League game. I'm surprised this hasn't been changed, but then again I suppose with so many games to be played in such as short space of time there's not really anywhere to move them.

I don't think it'll make much difference. The only thing that will affect them is if Arsenal put in a terrible display against Villarreal and it affected morale but I expect them to beat Villarreal. They're at Highbury for both games so I can't see tiredness playing a part. I'd say West Ham players were exhausted playing Chelsea after a flight back from Dubai on the Friday but playing a match wouldn't really make a player too much more tired than training.

Spurs have failed to get a point from Highbury since '98.

Running Bing

eirebhoy wrote:

Bolton is probably their easiest match which says it all.

How is Bolton easier than everton or west ham? Anyway spurs won today and so did arsenal which makes things very interesting.. Theres no reason why spurs cant beat man u on monday. If sunderland could get a draw and Its at whl theres no reason why spurs cant take three, they've been very impressive there at times during the season. Arsenal at the library will be a much touhger challenge though. As for Bolton and west ham, bolton are not playing well and west ham will probably have little to aim for on the last day of the season.

[Jackass]

I think spurs will get 11 points from remaining games and Arsenal will get 13.

Spurs ftw.
As long as they avoid defeat against Arsenal

Pepe LeFrits

According to Skysports King is out of the rest of the season with a fractured metatarsal which is a blow for Spurs, does that mean a Gardner & Dawson partnership?

Today's game is so important, and now that the title race is over again I have to wonder how interested United will be...

mike65

I dont think motivation will be a problem for Man Utd, second is important too.

Mike.

eirebhoy

Babybing wrote:

How is Bolton easier than everton or west ham?

em, home advantage...

Pepe LeFrits

Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy played a full 90 minutes for the reserves yesterday.

You wait all season for a bus, and then two come along at once...

Rikand

Blackburn have blown any chance of champions league football tonight with tonights result against birmingham and not taking a win may cost them even a UEFA cup spot...very very disappointed!

Thanx 4 The Fish

Well looks like Blackburn are out of the race. As I predicted above they would have trouble with relegation battlers.

Rikand

T4Tf is always right

Thanx 4 The Fish

Not really just got lucky on this occasion.

jank

If Arsenal win then that should be enough for them.

WhiteWashMan

no, they will still have to score more points than spurs in the run in.

Lemlin

Rickylovesuall wrote:

Blackburn have blown any chance of champions league football tonight with tonights result against birmingham and not taking a win may cost them even a UEFA cup spot...very very disappointed!

Rovers need to win the last three games. That's Chelsea, Charlton and City. Charlton are beatable but we usually draw with City so we should get about 4 points. It may be enough.

Either way, I'm happy to be at the right end of the table at the end of this season.