Arsenal may have sealed themselves the fourth spot out of the reach of Aston Villa and Everton, but they are still striving to clinch a third place finish which will see them automatically seeded into next season’s Champions League group stage.

The Gunners are six points off local rivals Chelsea going into Sunday’s big London derby clash at the Emirates. Arsenal will have the opportunity to cut this gap to only three points before both play two more games to conclude their respective season.

As it stands at the moment in the English Premier League, it looks like Arsenal are far from Chelsea’s reach but Sunday’s match could steer up a crunching end to the Blues’ campaign. Guus Hiddink’s men were well on course to winning the Premiership title at the beginning of the season – so as Arsenal – but they eventually got piped away by rivals Liverpool and defending champions Manchester United.

The two Londoners have conceded the title since long ago now, but the battle for the third spot still rages on.

Both clubs met in the FA Cup semifinals, with Chelsea getting the better of Arsenal’s defense to book their place in the final which would be against Everton later this month.

That day saw Chelsea play pay-back time to the Gunners who had previously beaten them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the league.

Sunday will be time for Arsenal to get a bit of revenge. Van Persie should feature against the Blues; Arsenal’s Dutch striker and top scorer this season emerged as the hero in the first leg, netting twice to see his side edge Chelsea 2-1 in their own fortress.

But this triumph happened under the reign of Luis Felipe Scolari. The new manager in charge – Guus Hiddink – has different ideas and tactics, and statistics show that the former Russia boss hasn’t lost any of his games against the giants in England so far.

Guus Hiddink is believed to have the ability to turn squads into champions and if the Premiership is a dead dream, playing for pride, honor and consolation remains a priority.

As for Arsene Wenger, the French tactician has set his belief in his youthful squad, tipping them to despise any other opposition in years to come.

Indeed, the Gunners have played very well against the rest of the big four this season, managing a draw at least if not a win.

Arsenal would love to impose themselves again at the Emirates, a stadium that has become a real fortress. Home advantage will surely mean a lot to the Gunners who have never lost against Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester United on home soil.

On the other side meanwhile, Chelsea are yet to win against their rivals in the Premiership. Things have certainly changed under Guus Hiddink.  The 62-year-old experienced manager looks to have turned predictability into unpredictability.