The woes of Spurs deepened last Saturday (4th May) as they lost to Bournemouth in their penultimate EPL game. A win would have solidified their place in the top-four race of one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
At the moment the top-four position is between 5 teams. Man City and Liverpool are obviously going to take either the first or second position. The decision of who will be first or second will be determined on match day 38, the last day of the competition. The other three teams who may take the third and fourth positions and thereby qualify for the UEFA Champions League in the 2019/2020 season is Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal. Currently Chelsea is 3rd with 71 points. Spurs are 4th with 70 points and Arsenal are 5th with 67 points. It appears Chelsea are comfortably placed.
With just one game for these three teams anything can happen. If Chelsea lose their last game, they will still have their current 71 points. If Spurs win their last match and Chelsea loses, they will jump to third position. If Chelsea still loses and Arsenal wins, Arsenal will finish the league with 70 points. This means that if Chelsea wins or loses their last match, they are pretty much in the top-four of the EPL
Spurs is the hot team. They will have to win their last game against Everton on Sun (12th May). Tottenham has a tougher opposition compared to Arsenal. Arsenal will be playing Burnley away from home. The good news for Tottenham is that they will be playing on home soil.
If Arsenal wins and Spurs lose both will be on 70 points but with Arsenal having more goals than Spurs, Arsenal will end up as the fourth on the table. The only way out is for Spurs to beat Everton at home in other to secure a position in the top-four.
If both win their matches, then Spurs will end up with 73 points while Arsenal will end up with 70 points.
It is possible Spurs can qualify for the finals for the 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League and eventually win the trophy if they beat Ajax well in the second leg of the semi-final in Amsterdam on Wed (8th May) and also beat the finalist in the other semi-final match which is between Barcelona FC and Liverpool FC. It will be very disappointing for Pochettino and his boys if Spurs wins the final and does not qualify for the Champions League next season.
There’s only one thing to do. They will have to win their last EPL match against Everton and join the three semi-finalists of the Champions League who have already qualified for the prestigious competition next season.
Author: Michael Hagan || Chrife.com.gh
