Arsenal were forced to settle for a point after their goalless draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. The latest draw helped the Black Cats come out of the relegation zone, while at the same time, it has created more excitement at the other end of the table.
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This has improved Manchester United's chance of making it to top four and we look at how Louis van Gaal's side will join Manchester City and Arsenal to fight for a spot for in the top four.
After the end of Arsene Wenger's side 0-0 draw with Sunderland, the London club sits fourth in the table with 64 points, level with City, who are third in the table. Manuel Pellegrini's side are above Arsenal due to their superior goal difference.
United are fifth in the table with 59 points, but the Old Trafford club have a game in hand. Here are the predictions for the three sides till the end of the season.
1) Manchester City
League Position: 3rd
Matches played: 35
Points: 64
Maximum points achievable: 73 points
Remaining Premier League fixtures: Southampton (A), Arsenal (H), Swansea City (A)
Should City win all three matches, they will be assured a top three finish and also cement a place in the next season's Champions League. This includes a victory over the north London club at home in their penultimate fixture.
Should they lose to Arsenal, and the Gunners along with United go on to win the remaining fixtures, City will miss out of the Champions League as Arsenal will have 73 points and Louis van Gaal's side will finish third with 71 points.
If the game between City and Arsenal ends in a draw and both clubs go on to win the remaining fixtures while United win all of their four matches, then all three teams will have 71 points and the two teams with poorer goal difference will finish outside the top four.
However, Pellegrini's men will have a tough run in as they are also in the Champions League. They will face Real Madrid in the last four of Europe's elite club competition. The return leg will be in Spain and the fixture is sandwiched between the league fixtures against Southampton and Arsenal.
2) Arsenal
League Position: 4th
Matches played: 35
Points: 64
Maximum points achievable: 73 points
Remaining Premier League fixtures: Norwich City (H), Manchester City (A), Aston Villa (H)
If Arsenal beat the two-time Premier League champions at the Etihad and also Norwich and Villa, they will finish the season in third place and also qualify directly for the group stages of the Champions League.
Wenger's side have an easy run of fixtures as they face struggling Norwich and relegated Villa at home and they should bag six points from these two fixtures without any excuses.
Should they lose to City and win the other two fixtures, that will see them finish with 70 points and if both the Manchester clubs win all their matches, the pair will finish above the north London club.
3) Manchester United
League Position: 5th
Matches played: 34
Points: 59
Maximum points achievable: 71 points
Remaining Premier League fixtures: Leicester City (H), Norwich City (A), West Ham United (A), AFC Bournemouth (H)
United have to play four more matches, which is one more than City and Arsenal. That is because their clash against West Ham was postponed due to their participation in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton.
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The Red Devils are through to the final of the FA Cup and this should be a motivation for them to win the remaining fixtures. Van Gaal's side have been impressive in the Premier League in recent games as they have kept four clean sheets in last five league matches.
If they win all their matches and either of City or Arsenal suffer a defeat in any of their matches, then United will finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. However, if the clash between City and Arsenal ends in a draw and they, along with Van Gaal's side win the remaining matches, the latter will finish fifth in the table.
United have to play West Ham United at Upton Park and the Hammers have a very good record at home. It will be their last match in that stadium and they are unbeaten at home in the Premier League.
That will be a tough task for United and the next match is against league leaders Leicester City. The Manchester club will have a chance of finishing the season in top four as long as they win all their fixtures and City vs Arsenal does not end in a draw
