07 April 2022, 12:00
Arsenal fans will no doubt come into another winnable home game full of optimism as their team retains a valuable lead over their nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United in the heated race for the top four.
Brighton ready to settle for mid table?
With opponents Brighton & Hove Albion in no real danger of relegation and happy to have secured another year of Premier League football, it may be exactly the kind of game the Gunners can expect to win comfortably. But this is also a dangerous time when complacency can start to creep into your game, with the mindset being that a game may already be won before it starts.
It's Mikel Arteta's job as manager to ensure that doesn't happen, for it would be a bad time for Arsenal to start faltering now with the winning line for Champions League qualification seemingly so close at hand.
Biggest tests still to come
One major reason games like this one are so important for Arsenal to win are some of the harder contests they have coming up. In the space of eleven days between 20th April and 1st May they face three crucial games against Chelsea away, Manchester United at home and West Ham at their tough London Stadium.
Any slip ups before then will put massive pressure on these already difficult games, and with only a three point cushion ahead of fourth placed Tottenham, they can't afford many mistakes even with a game in hand.
Can the Gunners aim even higher?
Such is the competitiveness of the Premier League, with Chelsea's recent shock home defeat to Brentford, Arsenal actually find themselves within touching distance of third spot in the table. While top four alone is undoubtedly the priority, an upcoming match at Stamford Bridge presents Mikel Arteta's team with a golden opportunity to possibly leapfrog their London rivals should they win that match.
Expert pundits will of course urge caution, but Gunners fans may just be starting to think to themselves that a place in the top three is now realistic.