There is now less than one month remaining of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign and what a season it’s been.
There is still plenty to play for at both ends of the table, with the title race, top-four race and relegation battle all still hanging in the balance. Arsenal currently find themselves fourth, two points behind local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who they will play in next month’s highly-anticipated north London derby.
However, it is possible that the two sides could meet again after the season is over in a play-off to decide who gets the final spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League. While unlikely, if the two teams finish level on points, goal difference and have an identical head-to-head record then they would face off in a playoff at a neutral ground.
In a statement back in 2020, the Premier League said: “If two or more clubs finish level in the table when competing for the title or European qualification, or when relegation is at stake, their records in the head-to-head matches will now be used to separate them. In previous seasons, teams involved in these specific battles who finished with the same points total, goal difference and number of goals scored would be pitted against each other in a playoff.
“But that extra match is now less likely. Only if the clubs remain level in the table after this will a playoff be arranged, at a neutral ground, with the format, timing and venue being determined by the Premier League Board.”
The two sides face each other in one of the most highly-anticipated North London derbies in recent history next month and if that game ends 3-1 to Spurs, we could be in line for a play-off match after the Premier League season ends. Other results would need to go a certain way, of course, but there is a real chance an extra 39th game could take place between two of the Premier League’s fiercest rivals.
