Owen Hargreaves predicts who will finish in fourth place between Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham
Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has predicted the outcome of the top four race between Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The 41-year-old has tipped Spurs to beat the duo of Manchester United and Arsenal for the fourth spot.
The race for the fourth Champions League spot continues to take new twists and turns every week. At one point, it appeared that Mikel Arteta's side were in the driving seat for the fourth spot but three back-to-back defeats have put them on the backfoot.
The north London club have lost three successive games against Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton. Their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur seemed to be gathering momentum at the right time but were also beaten 1-0 by Brighton on Saturday.
The two North London sides dropping points gave the Red Devils the opportunity to return to the top-four race. And, courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's 60th career hat-trick, the Red Devils did just that by beating Norwich City 3-2 on Saturday.
(sixty) career hat-tricks 🤯
@Cristiano
6️⃣0️⃣ (sixty) career hat-tricks 🤯
🌟 @Cristiano
#MUFC | #MUNNOR https://t.co/q0g3kfNf6F
Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, however, believes that Spurs are the favorites to secure the fourth spot. The 41-year-old has said that it will be difficult for the Gunners as they have a pretty challenging run of fixtures.
They are yet to to play against Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham United, Leeds United and Spurs. Hargreaves reckons that the Gunners may fall short after failing to score a single goal against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton.
Hargreaves said on Premier League Productions, as quoted by Metro:
"Fixture-wise, it’s tough for Arsenal. They struggled against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton. "They’ve got Chelsea, Man United, West Ham, Leeds and Tottenham coming up. Looking at Arsenal’s fixtures I’m saying no. "I know they’re close but if you’re losing and not scoring against Palace, Brighton and Southampton, you’re going to struggle. It’s made it really difficult for them."
The 41-year-old has tipped Spurs to finish in the top four and feels that his former side might miss out due to their inconsistent performances. He added:
"Tottenham are still in the driving seat because they’re ahead. Arsenal have that game in hand but I think Arsenal will fall short with the fixtures they’ve got. "Manchester United are just too inconsistent. Tottenham should be able to get the job done."
Manchester United, Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur- who will be able to notch the fourth place?
Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs have all been utterly inconsistent and that is what has kept the race for the fourth spot alive for so long. Hargreaves may be right in suggesting that Antonio Conte's side have an edge over their top-four rivals.
Spurs' attacking trio have made a difference in recent weeks and should be able to do just enough to secure the fourth spot.
BREAKING: After watching Tottenham, Arsenal and Man United this season, UEFA have had enough and are set to strip the Premier League of their fourth Champions League spot.
Arteta is missing several of their key players due to injuries and their pending fixtures suggest that the Gunners may miss out on Champions League football once again.
Manchester United have come back to winning ways with a victory against Norwich City. But they haven't been consistent enough with their performances to secure the fourth spot. Additionally, they also have tough games in store in the form of Liverpool and Chelsea.