Third place is up for grabs as Arsenal travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Sunday. What many tipped might be the match that could decide the title, in the early part of the season, has now turned into a battle for the final automatic Champions League qualification spot.
Arsenal hold the upper hand at the moment, with a three-point lead over Manchester City, who can go above the London club with a win at home. Both teams have been quite disappointing in their own ways in the league this season, and while third place is not what either would have hoped for at the start of the campaign, that is what is available to them as it stands.
Arsene Wenger will point to the fact that second place is not beyond Arsenal, considering only three points separate them from Tottenham, who could go six clear, provided they beat Southampton in the early game on Sunday.
"Sunday's game is still important, even if Leicester are champions today and we are second best," Wenger was quoted as saying by the club's official website. "It is still a very important game because part of the responsibility of being professional is to prepare the future. The future of Arsenal Football Club depends on this game.
"There's a European Championship and there's a Copa America. To get our players back, we made a schedule. It's absolutely very difficult because the European Championship finishes on July 10. If you think that you have to give at least three to four weeks of holiday to the players who go to the end [of the tournament], that means they come back at the beginning of August.
"Our target now is to secure a position in the Champions League next year. If possible, to get second place or at least secure third place. On Sunday, we can achieve that. We still have two games, and if we win those two games we will be alright."
Arsenal will finish at least third if they beat Manchester City on Sunday, while the latter will not want to even contemplate having to play in the Europa League next season, when Pep Guardiola takes charge. With Manchester United winning their game on Saturday, the pressure is on City to pick up all three points.
The difficult aspect for Manchester City will be to get over their Champions League exit in the semifinals, when they lost to Real Madrid 1-0 on aggregate on Wednesday. However, get over it they must as they look to give Manuel Pellegrini a perfect sendoff in his final home game as manager.
"It's a special game because we finish here at home after three intensive years," Pellegrini was quoted as saying by the club's website. "If we can finish in third in this third season it wouldn't be extraordinary but still a good season.
"I will have emotions on Sunday but I prefer not to show them in an external way."
Where to Watch Live
Manchester City vs Arsenal is set to begin at 4 p.m. BST (8.30 p.m. IST, 11 a.m. ET). Below are the TV and live streaming options.
India: TV: Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1. Live Streaming: Hotstar andStarsports.com.
UK: Sky Sports 1. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go.
Middle East and North Africa: TV: Bein Sports Arabia 2 and Bein Sports Arabia 11. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports 4. Live Streaming: Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.
Canada: TV: Sportsnet World. Live Streaming: Watch Sportsnet.
USA: TV: NBCSN, NBC Universo. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live Extra.
Singapore: TV: 102 mio.
Thailand: TV: CTH.
Malaysia: TV: Astro Supersport.
