Arsenal have gone into the November international break with a handy Premier League lead over Manchester City and Chelsea.
The Gunners recently dropped points after a high-scoring draw at Sunderland, but they are still top of the table with a reasonable advantage.
They are four and six points ahead of Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, and will be aiming to extend the gap after the international break.
Let’s have a look at Arsenal’s next five league games compared to their league rivals.
The Gunners have three straight London derbies to look forward to when the season resumes. They host Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on November 23.
This will be followed by an away game at Chelsea one week later, before hosting Brentford.
Arsenal will travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa shortly after before entertaining bottom-placed club Wolverhampton Wanderers on their home turf.
Arsenal’s next five league fixtures
Tottenham (H) – November 23
Chelsea (A) – November 30
Brentford (H) – December 3
Aston Villa (A) – December 6
Wolves (H) – December 13
Arsenal are unbeaten in the last six meetings against Spurs with five victories, and should be fancied to beat their north London rivals. However, it could be a tricky game against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
The Gunners have shared the spoils in the last two meetings at the stadium, and we won’t be surprised if there is another repeat. Similarly, the Villa game on the road may not be a cakewalk for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Villa have become a bogey club for Arsenal. They have won just one of their last four meetings. With the Midlands outfit in good form, the Gunners must play at their best to secure a positive outcome.
We anticipate Arteta’s side to beat Brentford & Wolves with home comfort.
Man City’s next five league fixtures
Newcastle United (A) – November 22
Leeds United (H) – November 29
Fulham (A) – December 2
Sunderland (H) – December 6
Crystal Palace (A) – December 14
In comparison to Arsenal, City have a more favourable schedule on paper. They should be favourites to beat Fulham, Leeds and Sunderland. The Black Cats have been brilliant on their top-flight return after eight years, but we don’t fancy them to provide any trouble away from home.
Newcastle and Palace away could be City’s challenging assignments. The Magpies are languishing just two points adrift of the drop zone, but can’t be underestimated at St James’ Park with the fans behind them. The same goes for Palace. City could drop points in those games if Newcastle and Palace turn up.
Chelsea’s next five league fixtures
Burnley (A) – November 22
Arsenal (H) – November 30
Leeds United (A) – December 3
Bournemouth (A) – December 6
Everton (H) – December 13
Chelsea’s fixtures are likewise more favourable than Arsenal’s. They should pick up maximum points against Burnley, Leeds and Everton. The Blues face a stern challenge against the Gunners. They are winless in the last seven meetings with five losses, and a couple of draws.
As previously mentioned, those stalemates have occurred at Stamford Bridge over the last two seasons. Enzo Maresca’s side should take confidence from those results against the Gunners and could get something out of the game.
The Cherries were Chelsea’s bogey club, but the Blues are unbeaten in the last seven meetings with four victories and three draws. The South Coast outfit could still be fancied to trouble the Blues. We predict a possible stalemate on the road.
Looking at the fixtures, City have a good chance of nullifying their four-point deficit with a winning streak. The onus is on Arsenal to prove their title credentials, which could be significantly boosted by the return of five forwards from injury.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com