Arsenal's fine form continued in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, when Mikel Arteta masterminded a 3-1 win over Inter Milan at San Siro to extend their lead at the pinnacle of Europe's premier competition
Arsenal head into the knockout stages of the Champions League holding a major advantage as a result of securing a first or second-place finish in the standings. The Gunners have been in impeccable form in Europe this season, winning each of their seven matches in the competition thus far.
And Tuesday night's 3-1 win over Inter Milan guarantees that the lowest Mikel Arteta's side can finish in the league phase of the competition is second. At the time of writing, Arsenal sit at the summit with a total of 21 points, six points clear of Bayern Munich.
While the Bundesliga giants could hypothetically overtake them, given they have a game in hand over the Gunners, the permutations needed for that to happen are complex. Not only would Bayern need to win Wednesday's match against Union Saint-Gilloise and their final league match against PSV in a week-and-a-day's time, but they would also require Arsenal to lose their own match with Kairat on the same night.
They would also have to make up a goal difference of seven to have any chance of overlapping the English favourites. Second-place Real Madrid are also out of the question, given they have also played seven games and also hold 15 points for their efforts.
League placement is especially important for the current instalment of the Champions League considering the benefits that come with finishing in the top two. A new rule means that the higher a team finishes allows them an easier route to the final of the competition with regards to home advantage.
For example, teams who manage to finish in the top four will be given home second legs for the last 16 and quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the top two teams in the table will be also handed second-leg home advantages in the semi-finals.
Playing the second-leg of each of the aforementioned matches at home will be a major boost on either side of the coin. Should Arsenal achieve an advantage away from home headed into the reverse, they will be able to utilise a hefty home support to hold on or potentially even expand.
Elsewhere, if they are in need of a turnaround in the second-leg, they will be better placed to achieve it on home turf, as opposed to intimidating enemy territory. It comes as Arsenal were in unplayable form at San Siro on Tuesday evening, as Arteta continues to work his magic home and away.
Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring for the Gunners 10 minutes into their match with Inter Milan, before Petar Susic levelled matters eight minutes later. Jesus bagged his brace in the 31st minute to ensure Arsenal headed into the break with an advantage.
After a tight second-half, Viktor Gyokeres then sealed the deal for Arsenal with six minutes of normal time remaining, to ensure his side's undefeated run in Europe remained in-tact.
Next up for Arsenal is a return to the Premier League to take on Manchester United in the capital on Sunday, January 25. They then play host to Kairat in their final league stage Champions League clash on Wednesday, January 28.