What a difference a couple of weeks can make. It's not too long ago when Arsenal were on course to pay the price for not winning the Premier League title.
But following events that have transpired in Serie A, not to mention the top-four battle in England and a major turnaround in the Bundesliga title race in the past week, the Gunners' imminent return to the Champions League is looking a lot more appealing now than it previously was.
It's no secret that Arsenal have struggled in European competitions in recent years and being knocked out of the Europa League at the round of 16 stage at the hands of Sporting CP this season means Mikel Arteta's side are currently ranked 23rd in the UEFA coefficient table.
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That puts them below Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Juventus, Barcelona, AS Roma, Internazionale, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Benfica, Villarreal, Napoli, Porto, Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, the good news for the Gunners is that not all 22 teams listed above have qualified for the Champions League next season, which increases their chances of being placed in Pot 2 and thus avoiding a nightmare group stage draw.
As things stand, Chelsea, Tottenham and Frankfurt won't be playing in the competition next season as a top-four finish in their respective leagues is out of the question. Meanwhile, Man United require a point from their final two fixtures to ensure Liverpool's highest possible finish is fifth.
Furthermore, following Monday's announcement with regard to Juventus being docked 10 points in a new ruling by the Italian football federation's appeals court after an investigation into the club’s transfer dealings found evidence of false accounting, they, as a result, drop from second place to seventh in the Serie A.
And having lost 4-1 against Empoli, Max Allegri's side's chances of qualifying for the Champions League look slim as they're five points off a top-four spot with two games remaining, meaning Olivier Giroud can do his former club a favour by helping AC Milan avoid defeat against Juve this weekend.
It's worth pointing out that Juve are planning to appeal, but if the decision stands and the top-four in Serie A remains as it is, then Arsenal will move one step closer to potentially receiving a more favourable Champions League draw as they could be placed in Pot 2 rather than Pot 3, which is determined by club coefficient rankings.'
For that to happen though, in addition to the Serie A standings remaining the same, Ajax and Villarreal must also miss out on Champions League qualification as both clubs are ahead of the Gunners in the coefficient table and would therefore be placed in Pot 2 ahead of Mikel Arteta's side.
But with the latter five points off a top-four spot in La Liga with three games left and Ajax needing to better PSV Eindhoven's result on the final day of the Eredivisie season, Arsenal should feel quite confident about their chances of going into Pot 2 which would see them avoid the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich - should Borussia Dortmund win the Bundesliga title - when the group stage draw is made in August.
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