Arsenal great Nigel Winterburn has played down his former club's chances of finishing among the Champions League places this season.
The Gunners are 13th in the Premier League table after a mixed start to the campaign, with three wins and three defeats.
Arsenal have beaten Fulham, West Ham and Sheffield United but struggled in the losses to Premier League high-fliers Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City.
Well over three-quarters of the season remains for Mikel Arteta's men to close the four-point gap on the top four - but Winterburn believes Arsenal's tepid start may already have foiled their Champions League hopes.
The Gunners legend, who made over 400 league appearances for the club, told Free Super Tips : “The first ten games always give a good idea of where Arsenal will finish, they would like to go into the last few games of the season having a chance to be in the top four.
“Losing three of their first six games is not ideal and other teams are looking far better at this moment in time, with Arsenal already having to play catch up.
Do you agree with Winterburn's verdict on Arsenal's top four chances? Have your say here.
“This is the strangest season I can remember for a long time. The league is so congested and there isn’t a dominant team so far.
“We will know halfway through the season where Arsenal will likely end up, but as a fan I do hope that come the end of the season they have a real chance of finishing in the top four.
“However, on current form and the way the team is playing I don’t see that happening and Arsenal will drop too many points and the better teams will pull away from the rest.”
Arsenal face top-four rivals Manchester United on Sunday evening and a win would propel the Gunners into the top half of the table.
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