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Mauricio Pochettino's side may end up relying on Arsenal for a place in the Europa League. AP/Press Association Images
strange days

Here's why Spurs might end up cheering on bitter rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup final

The Gunners are set to do battle with Aston Villa at Wembley on 30 May.

THE RIVALRY BETWEEN Arsenal and Tottenham may be one of the biggest in football, but Spurs could end up cheering their North London neighbours in the FA Cup final next month.

More often than not, the FA Cup winners of past years have finished in a top four in the league, qualifying for the Champions League in the process.

Consequently, one of the Premier League’s Europa League spots has gone to the FA Cup runners-up — as has been the case with final-losing sides including Southampton and Stoke over the years.

However, a recently installed rule decrees that if the FA Cup winners have qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League spot goes to the team that finishes seventh rather than the cup runners-up.

Tottenham are currently in sixth place, which would be good enough to a secure a Europa League spot regardless, yet should they end up seventh, they will undoubtedly be casting a keen eye on the match between Aston Villa and Arsenal on 30 May, as they would need a Gunners win to secure a spot in Europe next season.

Of course, some Spurs fans would also be eager to avoid the Europa League and choose to support Villa for the day as a result, with sceptics considering the competition to be an unnecessary distraction that’s more trouble than it’s worth despite the recently added bonus of Champions League qualification for its winners.

h/t Sky Sports

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