What Arsenal need to qualify for Champions League knockout stage | OneFootball

Gunners have six wins from six ahead of final two league phase fixtures

With the Champions League knockout stages on the horizon, Arsenal find themselves as favourites to go all the way this season.

Arsenal are away at Inter Milan tonight before rounding off their fixture list at home to Kairat next week.

What Arsenal need to qualify for Champions League knockout stage

Not much, is the short story.

Arsenal booked their place in at least the knockout round play-offs weeks ago.

Last season, 11 points were needed to finish in the top 24 and reach that stage. Arsenal had 12 points by November 4, only halfway through the league phase.

Officially the Gunners still need one more point to confirm their place in the top eight and with it qualification straight through to the last-16.

However, the 18 points they have already picked up is effectively guaranteed to be enough even if Arsenal lost their final two matches.

Arsenal are now only really playing for home advantage in the knockout rounds.

The top four sides at the end of the league phase will be guaranteed to play at home in the second legs of their last-16 and quarter-final ties, if they make it that far.

Should Arsenal finish in the top two, they would also have that advantage in the semi-finals.

That could prove to be a significant factor in the latter stages of the competition. Arsenal were away at Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their semi-final clash last season.

As it stands ahead of the final two league-phase matches this season, Arsenal have a five-point advantage over PSG in third. Manchester City and Atalanta are level on points with the defending champions.

It means two points are required from Arsenal's remaining fixtures to guarantee they finish in one of those top two spots.

Even if Arteta's side lost to Inter tonight they would be confident of getting the job done next week at home to Kairat, who sit bottom in 36th with just one point to their name.