Arsenal are capable of delivering St Totteringham’s Day again, claims Jeremie Aliadiere, with the Gunners seeking to climb back above Spurs in the Premier League table. There has been a shift in power in north London over recent years, with Tottenham edging ahead of their arch-rivals. While Mauricio Pochettino’s side have become regulars in the Champions League, Arsenal have suffered a humbling slide down the top-flight standings. Finishes outside of the top-four were endured during back-to-back campaigns as Arsene Wenger’s 22-tenure came to an end. The Gunners are, however, making positive progress in Unai Emery’s debut season at the helm and have closed to within a point of Spurs with eight games remaining. Aliadiere believes Arsenal can now overhaul Tottenham and reclaim domestic dominance in their part of the world. The former Gunners striker told talkSPORT when asked if Emery’s side will end the season ahead of Pochettino’s: “I believe so, yeah, I think they will. “I think they will finish in the top four – I don’t know if they will be third or fourth – but I think, in my opinion, it is the safest bet of them playing Champions League. “I just think the Europa League is tough. I know they are in the quarter-finals, but I still think beating Napoli over two legs will be tough. “You’ve still got Chelsea in it and I think putting all your eggs in that basket [winning the Europa League] will be difficult.” Both Arsenal and Tottenham have continental distractions still to come this season, with Spurs preparing for a Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City. The Gunners are, however, considered to have the easier run-in of two old adversaries, with Wolves and Everton the only sides currently sat in the top 10 that they are due to face before the campaign comes to a close on May 12. “I do think as well, they’ve got the easiest run compared to the other top teams,” Aliadiere added. “But, as you know, playing away at teams like Burnley won’t be easy games. “And sometimes you think, you’ve got an easier game but it’s never easy at the end of the season.” Arsenal will return to action after the international break with a home date against Newcastle on April 1, with Spurs set to take on title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield a day earlier.

Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico will not be “disrespectful” to his current club by discussing potential moves elsewhere, but admits to being flattered by Barcelona and Arsenal transfer talk. The Argentina international is among those in Amsterdam to be attracting admiring glances from afar. Another star-studded class of talent has emerged at Ajax in 2019, with the Eredivisie outfit having earned plenty of plaudits this season for a Champions League campaign which includes the notable scalp of Real Madrid. Frenkie de Jong already has a deal in place to join Barcelona this summer, while Matthijs de Ligt continues to be linked with leading sides across Europe. Tagliafico is another to be generating exit talk, with the South American said to be interesting teams in England and Spain. Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are among his many suitors, with the Gunners preparing themselves for a potential move to find cover for Nacho Monreal – with his current contract due to expire in the summer. Tagliafico has told Mundo Deportivo of the exit rumours: "I am enjoying life and football. We are privileged as footballers. "Our work is something fascinating and something we love to do. I enjoy playing for the national team and my club. I can’t think of what’s coming, that’s disrespectful to my club." While reluctant to be drawn into a debate on his future, Tagliafico is pleased to be drawing interest from the likes of Camp Nou. He added on the links to Barca: "It’s great that they talk about me, because that means things are going well. "But I can only focus on the present. Friday we [Argentina] have to beat Venezuela and that’s what counts." Tagliafico’s agent, Ricardo Schlipr, has already hinted that a switch to Real Madrid could be on the cards, with questions being asked of Marcelo’s ongoing presence at the Santiago Bernabeu. He has said: "Real Madrid have Tagliafico's name on their list, because Marcelo is off to Juventus. "But no one has called me yet." Tagliafico is under contract at Ajax until 2022 having only moved to the Netherlands from Independiente in January 2018.

Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner has confirmed that he is happy with his current role in the Gunners set-up, while refusing to rule out the possibility of leaving at the end of the season.  The Switzerland international became Unai Emery's first signing at the Emirates Stadium last summer upon joining on a free transfer from Juventus.  He signed a one-year deal and has performed a utility role in his first season, deputising for Hector Bellerin at right-back when needed and also featuring on the left side of defence.  At 35, Lichtsteiner is one of the senior members of the Arsenal squad, and he insists he is satisfied with his role as a fringe player in north London. "I'm 35 years old, I need a little more recovery time," he explained to Neue Zurcher Zeitung. "I'm not angry if I do not play from the start. And yes, I'm in a good health." "I have had a top career. I am calm. I enjoy it. Arsenal is a top club. It’s clear that playing there is always more difficult. "I came to a new country, a new club. I had to get to know a new culture, new people, a new league, a new tactic. Negotiations have begun over an extension to his current deal, but Lichtsteiner - who last featured for Arsenal at the end of February - admits he needs to gauge whether he will still play a part in Emery's plans. "This will need time. The fact that I play at a top club at the age of 35 says enough. There have been talks [with Arsenal]. We have to see if it suits both sides," he added. "Arsenal is a big club, I feel very happy. But I want to play regularly with regard to the European Championships.  "It was okay this year. But if the coach says that he no longer counts on me, I have to worry."

Bayern Munich star David Alaba has opened the door to a potential move to the Premier League, insisting that he can "imagine" himself playing in England or Spain. The versatile Austria international has played 335 games in all competitions for the Bavarians during his career, carving out a reputation as one of Europe's top left-backs over the years. And despite reaffirming his commitment to the Bayern cause, Alaba says that he could well consider a change in the future, with England's top clubs, as well as Barcelona and Real Madrid, potential options. "I can imagine trying something else but I really feel very comfortable at Bayern," he told Bild. "Every year there a new challenges and new objectives and the pressure will always be there. I'm happy in Munich but of course I can imagine seeing something else [in the future]." When asked which leagues would interest the full-back, he replied: "Spain, England. In Spain it would be the two big clubs, I guess? Real or Barcelona. Also the big clubs [in England]." Alaba also revealed that he was an Arsenal fan growing up and that he remains a supporter even today. He added: "Yes I was [and Arsenal fan as a child]. When you've been Arsenal fan as a kid you will be one your whole life in some way." Bayern are currently locked in a battle for the Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund as they approach the final eight games of the season in Germany. It had seemed as though Niko Kovac's side were destined to fall short in 2018-19 having entered the winter break six points behind Dortmund - the first time in eight years that they had not been leading the standings at that stage of the season. They have since wiped out the deficit, however, and are now level on points with Dortmund and with a healthier goal difference having won their last six Bundesliga games in a row. There will be no more Champions League this season, though, with Bayern having been defeated by Liverpool at the last-16 stage as the Reds secured a 3-1 aggregate win. Next up for the Bavarians after the international break is a trip to Freiburg on March 30 before a DFB Pokal quarter-final clash with Heidenheim four days later.

Denis Suarez has appeared to respond to the rumours suggesting his loan spell with Arsenal is about to be cancelled as he sent a cryptic message on social media. The midfielder only joined the Gunners on a temporary deal in the January transfer window, although he has made just six substitute appearances since arriving in north London. Manager Unai Emery has instead opted to start the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi ahead of him, leading to The Sun reporting that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss is preparing to cancel the loan agreement. But Suarez appears to be fully committed to Arsenal and with no plans of heading back to Spain early, with his post on Instagram seemingly denying the report that he's set to return to Barca. Adding text to a photo of the player in training during the international break, Suarez wrote: "Back on training with [smile emoji]. Let them keep talking [finger to lips emoji]." One of Suarez's rivals for a starting berth has been playing more regularly recently, with Ozil having started both Europa League last-16 games against Rennes and the 2-0 victory over Manchester United. Speaking to the club's official website, Nacho Monreal was full of praise for the German, and insists that opposition teams are more cautious of facing the Gunners when he is in the line-up. He said: "Mesut had some small problems and he missed a few games, but he’s with the team again and he’s fighting. "If you see him training or playing you can see that he’s completely committed to the team and that’s really good. "He’s very important for us and he’s a top-quality player. He helps us a lot with assists and scoring goals. "When the other teams see him on the pitch, they say, 'Oh Mesut is here, we need to be careful' so he’s an important player." Having missed parts of the season through injury and lack of form, Monreal has started to feature more prominently under Emery of late and says he will continue to give his all for the club. "This season has been a bit different for me because it’s been the first one when I’ve had a few injuries in a row and I’ve missed a lot of games," he said.  "I lost my form over the last few months, but now I’m back I’ve started to feel better again. The team is happy and lucky to have two left-backs who try to help the team.  "I’m really happy with my past performances, but as I’ve said, I just try to give my best every single day, every single training session and every game. I try to help and I’m happy doing that." Next up for the Gunners is a home meeting with Newcastle after the international break, with Arsenal currently fourth in the Premier League table, two points ahead of Manchester United.