Tottenham’s quest to secure Champions League football could depend on the success of rivals Arsenal.
While Spurs fans will be desperate for Mikel Arteta’s side to crash out of the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich, they would actually benefit from a Gunners win.
Tottenham could benefit from Arsenal in the club’s quest to secure Champions League football[/caption]
Ange Postecoglou‘s men currently sit outside the top four in fifth spot as they trail Aston Villa by three points.
But Spurs could end up sealing a spot in Europe’s revamped premier competition next season if they do finish in fifth – but would need Arsenal to beat Bayern.
The two clubs go into their second leg at the Allianz Arena – live on talkSPORT – on level scores at 2-2 following last week’s four-goal thriller at the Emirates.
Explaining the mad situation on the talkSPORT Breakfast show, European football expert Kevin Hatchard was asked why some Spurs supporters may begrudgingly want Arsenal to do the business in Bavaria.
To which he said: “Because of this coefficient race that you’ve got at the moment.
“It is an unusual situation isn’t it? So there will be an extra place in the Champions League next season for either – we think – a German or English club.
“Italy are ahead, they’re going to take one of the spots, and it’s going to be down to either England or Germany.
“So if Arsenal were to knock Bayern out, that would swing it back in England’s way, because it’s Germany who have the advantage at the moment.
“Of course on Thursday, it’s a really important [Europa League] clash between [Bayer] Leverkusen and West Ham as well.”
As it stands, Italy [18.428] and Germany [17.210] occupy the top two positions, with England closely following behind in the ranking with 16.750 points.
Each win in Europe, no matter the competition, is worth two coefficient points, with one given for a draw, while an extra point is awarded for reaching certain stages in a tournament.
For example, Borussia Dortmund‘s quarter-final victory over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night saw Germany handed an extra point.
With Italy boasting five teams in Europe still – with one club guaranteed to make the Europa League semi-finals – they seem set to receive a further Champions League spot.
Germany have three, with Bayern hoping to follow BVB into the semi-finals, while Bundesliga champions Leverkusen have Europa League glory on their mind.
England have five clubs left, but it remains to be seen how many make it into the semi-finals.
Arsenal face a daunting task away at Bayern, while Manchester City are level on aggregate with Real Madrid heading into Wednesday’s return fixture at the Etihad, live on talkSPORT 2.
Elsewhere, Liverpool are 3-0 down going into their Europe League tie with Atalanta, with West Ham trailing Leverkusen by two goals – another match that could swing England’s way should the Hammers pull off a shock victory.
Villa, who are involved in the Europa Conference League, were the only side to win in their first leg last week – beating Lille 2-1.