Arsenal will miss out on Champions League place for first time under Arsene Wenger, Bing predicts
Arsenal will finish outside the top four this season and fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time under Arsene Wenger, Bing has predicted.
The Gunners are currently in fifth place, a point behind Liverpool and three points behind Manchester City, who occupy qualifying spots for Europe’s biggest football tournament.
Microsoft’s search engine expects Arsenal to beat Everton in their final game of the season on Sunday. However, Liverpool are set to win against Middlesbrough and Pep Guardiola’s Man City will sweep aside Watford to leave Arsenal outside the top four for the first time in 20 years.
Arsenal were third in the table after 19 league games but have since won just nine out of 17 matches to fall to fifth. Wenger told reporters on Monday that it would be “frustrating” if his team finished the season with 75 points and still missed out on a Champions League place.
“I still think we just have to give our best to get to 75 points, and if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. At least we have done our job well to the end,” he said.
“I would say we would be a victim of a lack of consistency that we have shown through the season…
“We are a victim of nobody. If we make 75 points, we can only be beaten by one point. That point can happen in the season one side or the other. You will always have regrets because you could have one point more …”
Arsenal will qualify for the Europa League by finishing fifth and via the FA Cup. The Gunners play Chelsea in the final of that domestic trophy on May 27, with the winners handed a place in the Europa League. However, as Chelsea have already qualified for the Champions League by winning the Premier League, Arsenal will take that reward regardless of the result at Wembley.
The Blues will end the season top of the league with 93 points, with Tottenham 10 points behind in second place. The London rivals will beat Sunderland and Hull City respectively in the final round of games.
Manchester United will also qualify for the Europa League by finishing sixth, but still have the chance to play in next season’s Champions League if they beat Ajax in this season’s Europa League final on May 24.
Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull will be relegated from the Premier League regardless of their results this weekend.