Spurs rooting for Arsenal FA Cup glory? It may happen next month

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur form one of the most heated rivalries in all of the Barclays Premier League.  With the two north London clubs only separated by about 4 miles, it’s no wonder.  Despite the fact that the supporters of these two teams thoroughly despise each other, there could very well be a scenario soon in which Spurs, and their fan base, will be sitting by their respective televisions, holding red and white pom poms.

This year’s FA Cup final is to be played on May 30, and will be a matchup between Arsenal and West Midlands club Aston Villa.  While normally Spurs fans would have to be insane to root for their north London rival, they could be cheering on the Gunners if they were to finish seventh in the standings.

In the past, if a club outside of the top six in the Premier League standings was to be runners-up in the FA Cup competition, then they would be slotted into the next season’s Europa League tournament.  However, changes to the rules now give a place in the European competition to the team in seventh place of the Premier League standings, provided that the winning FA Cup club is already in the top six positions in the table.

If, in fact, Arsenal win the FA Cup and Spurs finish seventh in the standings at the end of the season, then the blue and white north London club will be placed in the 2015-16 Europa League (because the Gunners are almost certain to finish in a Champions League place).  But, if Aston Villa (currently in 15th place in the standings) were to win the silverware at Wembley next month and Spurs finish in seventh place, then Spurs are out of contention for the Europa League, and Villa would automatically be playing in the European competition next season.

All of this hinges on the fact that Spurs finish seventh at the end of the Premier League season.  The north London Club are currently sitting in sixth place, one point ahead of Southampton.  With the team from the south coast having a much better goal difference (21 to 6), Spurs are going to have to finish ahead of Southampton outright to comfortably remain in the Europa League for the next campaign.

Oddly enough, Spurs and Southampton face off on Saturday in a crucial match with European implications.  Following the big game at the weekend, Spurs end their season playing Manchester City, Stoke City, Hull City and Everton.  Southampton’s final four matches of the season are against Sunderland, Leicester City, Aston Villa, and Manchester City.

Spurs fans will surely hope that their inclusion in the Europa League does not come down to cheering on the Gunners, and will certainly wish that their club finishes within the top six of the table.