Laurent Koscielny says Arsenal cannot afford to drop points if they are to secure Champions League football this season.
The Gunners currently sit third with seven games remaining of the season after a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday night. However the margins for error are slim indeed in the closing stages of the run-in.
Unai Emery's side have a two point lead over Tottenham and Manchester United with Chelsea a further point behind in sixth. Unlike the remainder of the quartet Arsenal do not have to play another of the so-called Big Six this season but of their final seven league fixtures five are away from home, starting with the visit to Everton on Sunday.
Aaron Ramsey's glorious farewell, no sign of north London power shift - Arsenal talking points
Win that and the sense of momentum behind Arsenal will only grow heading into a challenging Europa League quarter-final against Napoli.
Koscielny said: "To a lot of people, the two legs against Napoli might feel like the toughest encounters because they are such a big team but all of our remaining matches will be really hard and we will have to be at our best if we want to win them all.
"This is our objective: we need to win every game until the end of the season. If we manage to do that, then we will be assured of finishing in the top four which is very important for the club and the players.
"The Europa League is also a competition we can win. We don’t fear anyone and we can beat anyone as well. When we had to get a result this season, we did.
"Against Chelsea or against Manchester United at home for example, we had to win to get back into the race for the top four. We have that mentality now.
Arsenal boss Unai Emery provides injury update on Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny & Granit Xhaka
"We are ready to fight until the end to get the best finish of the season possible. We have great unity in the squad and faith in the staff."
Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League in each of the last two seasons but now appear to have two realistic avenues to get back into Europe's premier club competition.
However their Europa League tie against Napoli is far from a forgone conclusion and the margins will be tight as four sides battle for two places behind Manchester City and Liverpool.
Arsenal player ratings vs Newcastle: Ramsey phenomenal, Lacazette clinical as Gunners go third
"It's every team’s dream to play Champions League football," Ainsley Maitland-Niles said. "It's the best European competition in the world.
"To play against all the big teams would be fantastic and you get to test yourself fully. That’s all we wanted to do, to go out there and win the game.
"We've made one step closer to succeeding."
Mesut Ozil hasn't had to change anything to convince Unai Emery of his value to Arsenal
Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .
