Arsenal not focused on title permutations
Mikel Arteta says the thought of giving Liverpool the Premier League title if Arsenal loses to Crystal Palace on Tursday (AEST) is not an added incentive to beat the Eagles.
The Gunners are 13 points off Liverpool's lead with five games left, meaning that even if they do beat Palace, they will miss out on the title for a third consecutive season if the Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur next Monday (AEST).
Arsenal is unbeaten in its past 11 matches in all competitions, wining six and drawing five, and got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 4-0 victory over Ipswich Town on Monday (AEST), denying Liverpool a chance to claim the title later that day with its win at Leicester City.
Arteta's side also has a UEFA Champions League semi-final coming up against Paris Saint-Germain next week, but the Spaniard is not thinking about rotation, with his full focus on prolonging Liverpool's title celebrations once more.
"Our incentive is to win our game and to do our best to continue with our run that we are in right now, the rest we cannot control," he said.
"[We have to] earn the right to win the game [on Wednesday] against a really good side.
"They have a really good record away from home as well, and after that, we have time to prepare [for PSG] really well."
Arteta also confirmed Bukayo Saka's injury was "nothing serious" and that he should be available for the match against Palace.
This game has been pushed forward because of Palace's involvement in the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa on Sunday (AEST), but its form has stalled in recent weeks.
Since its quarter-final win over Fulham, the Eagles have won just one of their five Premier League games, losing two heavily against Newcastle United and Manchester City, and drawing two.
The 0-0 draw with Bournemouth last weekend despite Chris Richards's sending-off was a much-needed clean sheet after conceding five goals against both City and Newcastle.
Eddie Nketiah will return to Emirates Stadium again after his transfer last year from Arsenal to Palace, and Oliver Glasner admitted he feels "sad" that his effort has not seen more rewards since the move.
"It's not time to sum up Eddie's season now, but he's so hard-working," Glasner said. "Sometimes I feel a little bit sad for him, personally, when I see all his effort.
"It looks like, sometimes, things don't go well for him. I see him every day working.
"And there will come a day when he gets paid for all his effort. For me, it feels like they didn't come until now."
