Champions Arsenal will set a new benchmark in English soccer if they avoid defeat against Leicester City in their last game of the season at Highbury today.
If Arsene Wenger's team win or draw they will emulate Preston North End, who were only other English top flight club to finish the league season unbeaten -- the inaugural 1888-89 campaign when Queen Victoria was on the throne and the season was a mere 22 games long.
Arsenal will also extend their unbeaten league run to 40 games, two short of Nottingham Forest's record of 42 set over two seasons in 1977-78.
Wenger's team have won 25 and drawn 12 of their 37 games so far and defeat on Saturday is barely conceivable against already-relegated Leicester, who lost 4-0 and 6-1 on their last two visits to Highbury.
The statistics, though, do not convey the sheer exuberance of Arsenal's football this season, with double player of the year Thierry Henry their star-turn. Yet Wenger believes there is still room for improvement.
"I feel we can get better and better," said the Frenchman. "But we have to start again next season. If we lose two games at the start then we know everybody will be saying we are nobody.
"I love to win and I love to improve. I would like to think that next year I will be a better manager than this year.
"Not repeating the same mistakes, getting more out of the team, pushing higher up, being more consistent with our quality and doing things that have never been done before."
Arsenal will be presented with the premier league trophy after the match and plan to hold a victory parade through north London on Sunday.
Newcastle's failure to win at Southampton on Wednesday means that most of the other issues in the premier league have been resolved.
Arsenal and second-placed Chelsea, who host bottom club Leeds United, have already qualified for the group stage of next season's Champions League.
Third-placed Manchester United, who visit Aston Villa, will play in the Champions League qualifying round, accompanied almost certainly by fourth-placed Liverpool.
Gerard Houllier's club, the subject of rival cash offers from the Thai prime minister and a local businessman this week, are three points clear of Aston Villa before their home game against Newcastle.
Their goal difference of plus-18 is 12 better than Villa's so only a pair of freakish scores could deprive the Anfield side of what is their minimum achievement this season.
Villa will be quite content with the UEFA Cup place on offer to the fifth-placed finisher but to secure it they need at least to match Newcastle's result against Liverpool.
Newcastle are a point behind Villa but have a plus-12 goal difference, six better than Villa.
Relegation has long been settled with Leeds, Wolves and Leicester all consigned to Division One next season. All three have 33 points, though, and each will want to avoid finishing bottom of the pile.
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