Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City to ensure they remain just two points behind Arsenal in the race for the top four, with UEFA Champions League football still on the line.
Spurs had opened up a three point gap over the Gunners last month, before a slight dip in form allowed their north London rivals to leapfrog them into fourth-place, yet the Lilywhites are now backed to regain that position by the end of the season.
Or at least that is what Jamie O’Hara thinks, with the former Spurs man insisting that Arsenal will lose three of their final four matches to allow Antonio Conte ’s side to steal fourth place.
He told talkSPORT : "Arsenal will slip up. I think they've got tough games. I think we [ Tottenham ] have got one more tough game, and then it's the North London Derby. That's like a cup final which could go either way. I just have to back Spurs, surely you have to back Spurs under the lights, at home, against Arsenal."
Next up for Tottenham is a daunting trip to Anfield to face title-chasing Liverpool, while Arsenal host relegation-threatened Leeds United, before the two clubs face off in a huge North London derby on Thursday, May 12. Spurs then finish the season against Burnley and already-relegated Norwich City, while the Gunners face Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet despite the very strong possibility for Arsenal to be five points clear of Tottenham by the time the two clubs face off next week, O’Hara has backed the Gunners to capitulate under pressure in their final three games of the season to allow Spurs to overcome that potential huge points gap.
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Should there be a five point gap ahead of next week’s meeting between the two sides, Spurs would have to beat Arsenal in order to have any chance of sealing a top four finish. A win for the Gunners could see them move eight points clear with just two games to go, while a draw would preserve that five point gap heading into the final two fixtures.
Yet, as has been the case for the majority of the season for these teams, inconsistency plays its part. Spurs may well pull off a shock result, however unlikely, away to Liverpool on Saturday, while Arsenal could very easily slip up against a Leeds side who are fighting for survival on Sunday.
Following the North London derby, Spurs host relegation-battling Burnley, before travelling to already-relegated Norwich on the final day, in which you’d expect them to pick up six points. Arsenal, meanwhile, have a tough trip to a resurgent Newcastle, before hosting an Everton side who may need a win to stay up on the final day.
The final two fixtures for each side would suggest that the Gunners have a slightly tougher schedule, yet that may not even matter should they defeat Leeds this weekend and Spurs lose to Liverpool, before avoiding defeat against Conte’s outfit next week. If the Lilywhites are five points behind with two games to play, then it will effectively already be over.
Spurs must win all of their remaining games to stand any chance of a top four finish, which includes picking up victories over Liverpool and Arsenal, but Conte has warned Tottenham fans that doing so will be 'impossible', and it is more important to focus on each game as it comes.
He said : "In England it’s impossible to think that in every game, you are going to win. You won’t. We have to go step by step, and game by game. We have to go step by step and understand that this is a big opportunity for us and we have to face every game with great enthusiasm, great passion and with joy."
