London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur’s current Champions League campaigns could provide Arsenal an advantage in the Premier League title race.
Along with Bayern Munich and Inter, the Gunners are one of just three teams in the league phase with a perfect record, but their rivals from the capital are not doing as well.
Spurs are in tenth place in the standings after winning both of their home games, 1-0 against Villarreal and 4-0 against Copenhagen. Chelsea are only a point and two spots behind them.
Similar to Tottenham, the Blues have a perfect home record after defeating Ajax 5-1 and Benfica 1-0.
However, the Blues are yet to clinch win on the road, as Bayern triumphed 3-1 in Munich, while they had to rally to draw 2-2 with Qarabag in their last outing.
At the midway point of the league phase, both teams occupy play-off berths for the knockout round, although as seeded sides.
They will play a two-leg match in February, just like City did the previous season, if they stay between ninth and 24th place.
Arsenal Could Land Huge Premier League Title Advantage Ahead Of The Run-In
According to The Mirror, that is the same month Arsenal meet both teams for the final time this season. On the weekend of February 21, they will visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the following week, they will host Chelsea.
The first leg of the knockout round play-offs begins the week of February 16 days before the Gunners visit Spurs. The next week, starting on February 23, is when the second legs are set to take place.
According to Opta Analyst, Chelsea have a nearly 69% opportunity of being in the knockout phase play-offs, while Tottenham’s chances remain at slightly over 71%. Arsenal, on the other side, have the slimmest prospects, at slightly under two per cent.
This implies that it is highly unlikely that the Gunners will need a play-off. Arsenal may benefit from the idea of their London rivals competing for a spot in the round of 16 prior to their league meetings with them.
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