Tottenham Hotspur has control of its destiny in the top four race. The north London club has 57 points, three more than Arsenal and six more than West Ham United and Manchester United.
Spurs’ two most challenging fixtures on their remaining schedule are Liverpool and Arsenal. The other five matches will have Tottenham as the favorite heading into those matchups.
Despite Antonio Conte’s squad holding all the cards to finish in the top four, former Liverpool legend John Barnes gave his insight into how he’s seeing the race for the final UEFA Champions League spot.
“A month ago, I would have said they were favorites for the final Champions League place, but we were probably all quite naïve in thinking they had turned a corner after they started to win matches,” Barnes told BonusCodeBets (via Manchester Evening News)
“They’re still a young and inexperienced side, but the future is bright for Arsenal, and the more they stick with Arteta and the young players [the better they will get], they’ll be just fine.
Although Barnes warns Spurs not to count out Manchester United, the former winger states that he still gives the north London club the slight edge and clinch Champions League football for next season.
“Tottenham – with Antonio Conte, Harry Kane, and Son Heung-min have a bit more know-how, and they are ahead of Arsenal in that respect. That said, we can’t write off Manchester United, but between Arsenal and Tottenham right now, Spurs are slight favorites,” Barnes concluded.
The remaining opponents for Manchester United are Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, but two of the three are at home. The Red Devils are coming off a weekend that saw them drop points to Everton, who’s in the middle of a relegation battle, and have a challenging schedule.
So they could be on the verge of crashing out or might show some signs of life down the stretch.