Former Arsenal Striker Jérémie Aliadière Tips Gunners to Finish Above Rivals Tottenham

​Former Arsenal forward Jérémie Aliadière has tipped his old side to place higher than arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this season.

A torrid run of form has seen Spurs fall out of contention for the title, allowing their neighbours to close the gap to a single point. Mauricio Pochettino's men have lost three of their last four fixtures in the league, whilst the Gunners are unbeaten in five, with those results leading Aliadière to declare that his former employers will finish highest.

Speaking to Jim White on ​talkSPORT about the possibility of ​Arsenal ousting their rivals, the Frenchman said: "I believe so, yeah, I think they will. I think they will finish in the top four – I don’t know if they will be third or fourth – but I think, in my opinion, it is the safest bet of them playing ​Champions League."

Arsenal have not featured in Europe's elite competition for the last two years having previously participated for nineteen successive seasons, with the 35-year-old suggesting that they will target a top-four finish over qualification through winning the Europa League. 

"I just think the Europa League is tough. I know they are in the quarter-finals, but I still think beating ​Napoli over two legs will be tough," he continued. "You’ve still got ​Chelsea in it and I think putting all your eggs in that basket will be difficult."

Aliadière went on to explain his prediction, highlighting the remaining fixtures ​Tottenham and Arsenal have to play. "I do think as well, they’ve got the easiest run in compared to the other top teams," he stated.

He did, however, warn Unai Emery's team about getting complacent: "As you know, playing away at teams like ​Burnley won’t be easy games. And sometimes you think, you’ve got an easier game but it’s never easy at the end of the season."

Source: 90min

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