Arsenal should be fearing for their place in the Premier League's top four if they lose to Chelsea in Sunday's London derby, Gunners expert Charles Watts has warned.
Mikel Arteta's side can most likely forget about a fantastical title charge given they now lie 15 points below Liverpool in the Premier League standings, having failed to win any of their last three in the top flight against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.
Instead, ensuring qualification for next season's Champions League should be the overriding goal for the Gunners, who would only be three points clear of Chelsea if they lose to Enzo Maresca's side, while they currently hold a four-point advantage over Forest and eight-point buffers to Manchester City and Newcastle United.
As things stand, fifth spot is likely to be enough to secure UCL qualification for 2025-26 thanks to England's unrivalled UEFA coefficient, but that is not a guarantee just yet, and Watts has warned Arsenal that their spot among the European elite could still be in jeopardy.
Asked by Sports Mole if the Gunners should be fearing for their top-four place if they are beaten by the Blues, Watts replied: "Yes! That's where you've got to be looking now, you're not looking at Liverpool anymore. They're over the hill and far, far away. It's a procession for the title for them, there is no title race.
"For Arsenal, it's about trying to win enough games to make sure you get yourself into the Champions League. And if you're not scoring any goals, then you're going to struggle to do that. Ten games left, You've got to win half of those probably to guarantee yourself a top four spot. They haven't won the last three, they've only scored one goal.
Arsenal "looking over their shoulder" ahead of Chelsea fixture
"There's a lot of work to be done for Arsenal. Chelsea's a really, really important game. If you win that, you move nine points ahead, that's a good position to be in. You lose that, it's absolutely game on in terms of top four.
"They've got to find a way to score some goals and be a threat. Fingers crossed they can do that. They're definitely looking over their shoulder now, not looking forwards anymore."
Arsenal had drawn blanks in back-to-back Premier League matches against Forest and West Ham before Declan Rice's stunning equaliser in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Manchester United ended their goal drought, but it was another worrying attacking performance.
The Gunners boasted 68% of the ball at Old Trafford but generated just 0.10 more Expected Goals (xG) than Ruben Amorim's side, who arguably had the better chances to take home all three points as David Raya and Rice saved Arsenal's bacon at the back.
However, Chelsea were also lambasted for a lack of bite in their 1-0 win over Leicester City and identical Conference League success over Copenhagen, where they did not manage a single shot in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
As well as the injury to Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer has failed to register a goal or assist in any of his last seven Premier League games, and Watts believes that it will take a moment of magic from either side to prevail in what is likely to be a rather forgettable match.
Watts expects "moment of brilliance" to decide Arsenal-Chelsea clash
© Imago
"It's going to be a thriller, isn't it?" Watts said sarcastically. "Both teams struggling, both teams without forwards. Nicolas Jackson injured, that's really cost them. He may not be scoring the amount of goals a lot of people wanted him to, but he was still very influential in that team, an integral figure.
"They've struggled to play without him, just like Arsenal are struggling to play without a striker. It doesn't look like it's going to be an absolute goal fest at the Emirates next week. Cucurella stepped up with a really decent strike to make sure Chelsea got the points, Declan Rice did the same to make sure Arsenal got a draw.
"It's probably going to be moments of individual brilliance that might win it again. It's a really big game this one for Arsenal. Two points from nine, one goal in three games, take PSV out of it. That's been a really worrying run. They haven't found a way yet domestically to play without the forwards, and that has to change. It'd be a really big lift if they could produce it against Chelsea."
While Chelsea struggled to find their way through against Copenhagen, Arsenal played out an exciting 2-2 Champions League draw with PSV Eindhoven, thus advancing to the quarter-finals with a 9-3 aggregate thrashing.
Raheem Sterling enjoyed his finest display in an Arsenal shirt so far on Wednesday, registering two assists and taking home the man of the match award, but the Chelsea loanee cannot face his parent club on Sunday.
As a result, Ethan Nwaneri is expected to return to the Arsenal starting lineup for the London derby, and the 17-year-old would break a Premier League record if he finds the back of the net.
Ben Knapton
