At a Glance:
- Arsenal host Burnley on Monday night at the Emirates.
- Manchester City travel to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
- Ray Parlour has warned the Gunners of a potential ‘nightmare scenario’.
Arsenal are set to face relegated Burnley in a huge Premier League clash on Monday night, and Ray Parlour has warned Mikel Arteta’s team of a potential ‘nightmare scenario’ ahead of the encounter.
The Gunners need two wins from their remaining two matches to guarantee their status as champions. First, they take on a dispirited Burnley side who have known their fate for multiple weeks now, before taking on a Crystal Palace team who have the Conference League final to look forward to.
Arteta’s outfit should be capable of navigating these two fixtures, although given their history of stumbling late in the season in title races, nothing is guaranteed.
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Ray Parlour says dropping points to Burnley would be ‘nightmare scenario’
Michael Jackson has insisted that his players will be up for the game at the Emirates, and won’t simply lie down for the Gunners. Despite possessing the worst underlying metrics in the English top flight, Burnley do boast some dangerous attacking players, with the likes of Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming proving this term that they can hurt the better teams in the league.
Thus, Arsenal will need to be wary of the Clarets’ threat, and this game certainly won’t be quite as straightforward as many are suggesting. If the North Londoners do somehow fail to overcome Jackson’s side, then they’ll be left desperately scrapping to beat Crystal Palace by a big margin on Sunday.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Monday morning, former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour warned the Gunners that failure to beat Burnley would indeed be the ‘nightmare scenario’.
“It should be straightforward,” he said.
“You’ve got one team that’s been relegated, and you’ve got another set of players who are going for a title. So, surely they’re going to want it more than Burnley.
“Plus, being at home as well. This is the one where it would be an absolute nightmare scenario if they dropped any sort of points tonight. Most Arsenal fans will be saying all their eyes will be on tomorrow night, really.”
Arsenal could easily win the Premier League title by Tuesday night
Despite Parlour’s warning, victory over Burnley should almost be a formality for Arsenal. It would be a major shock if the Clarets are able to beat the Gunners in N5, particularly in the context of the two teams’ seasons.
Thus, Arsenal have a real chance of being crowned champions on Tuesday night, when Manchester City travel to the south coast to take on Bournemouth. A draw for the Cherries will guarantee them Europa League football at a minimum for next season.
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | GD |
| 1 | Arsenal | 79 | 36 | +42 |
| 2 | Man City | 77 | 36 | +43 |
A victory for the south coast side would move them to within one point of Liverpool heading into the final day. They could then either secure Champions League football by leapfrogging the Merseysiders, or by finishing sixth, with Arne Slot’s team leapfrogging prospective Europa League champions Aston Villa, who would then finish fifth.
Essentially, there’s a lot on the line for Bournemouth, who also come into this clash off the back of a 14-game unbeaten run. City will also have played the FA Cup final just three days prior, meaning Bournemouth should be a lot more well rested.
The Gunners could be champions in less then 48 hours.
