Bernd Leno has fired a warning to Arsenal's rivals as they chase down a European spot.
The Premier League season was halted with the Gunners languishing down in ninth spot, eight points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
However, Mikel Arteta's men can boost their hopes if they win their game in hand when they return to action against Manchester City on Wednesday.
City's spot in next season's Champions League is up in the air, having taken their case to Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to have their ban overturned.
Failure to reverse the decision would help Arsenal's cause.
Keeper Leno has warned the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United that they have not given up hope of gatecrashing the Champions League spots.
He told DFB: "It’s a great way to start because we have to go full throttle right from the off – they’re an absolutely top team.
"It’ll be strange to play again after such a long time out and with such little time to prepare, but I’m optimistic about the rest of the season.
"I hope we can get into Europe. We’re not ruling out the Champions League places because we might get it with just fifth place, given Man City’s possible ban.
"We were in decent form before the break, I just hope we can get back to that when we return and end up in a European spot."
