London: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called upon his club’s "magic 12th man" to propel his players to the edge of a Premier League championship when they face Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.

The Gunners are positioned just two victories away from securing their first domestic league title in 22 years. The north London club will host an already-relegated Burnley squad before travelling to face Crystal Palace for the season finale six days later.

A victory for Arsenal against a Burnley team that has suffered five defeats in its last six outings would intensify the pressure on title rivals Manchester City, who are scheduled to play the following day at Bournemouth. Consequently, if Arsenal secures all three points on Monday, they could be crowned champions within 24 hours should City suffer a defeat against the Cherries.

Replicating the atmosphere from their successful Champions League semifinal encounter against Atletico Madrid, thousands of Arsenal supporters are expected to gather to greet the team buses and generate an intense environment before kickoff. While the Emirates Stadium has been characterised by anxiety for much of the calendar year, a distinct shift toward positivity and belief has emerged among the fanbase in recent weeks.

"They are our 12th man and the magic player. When the stadium provides that level of energy, passion and optimism, they play every single action with the team," Arteta said. "When we have the ball, when the opponent has the ball, in every element, they live the game like that. The value of that is just infinite; you cannot measure it, and the team becomes different. It is as simple as that."

Cultural and Stadium Transformation

Since his appointment, Arteta has focused significantly on converting the Emirates Stadium into a challenging environment for opposing teams.

"It was the first thing I wanted to change because a few days before I was appointed here, I was on the other bench with Man City, and that image, that feeling of the stadium, the crowd, 50% of the stadium was empty. It really got into me," Arteta added. "I said, 'with this, there is no project, this is not going to work,' and unfortunately, it got worse very quickly because then COVID hit, and then instead of 50%, we had zero. So, you make the job even harder."

The manager reflected on the multi-year process required to alter the club's internal culture and fan engagement following the pandemic restrictions.

"After that, we had to rebuild everything. But when it's harder at the beginning, then it's better. So, to see that transformation and that joy on the people, it's something that is beautiful to watch," he said. "When you haven't won for that long, it's going to be edgy, and there's going to be those moments of doubt. And I'm very glad that we've turned that point, and we are very optimistic, but being very, very present as well."

With inputs from ESPN