Arsenal face a busy February after earning a place in the Carabao Cup final following their win over Chelsea with a Premier League fixture moved as a result
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta has to manage a busy run(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal face a daunting run of fixtures after reaching the Carabao Cup final. Mikel Arteta's side will face Manchester City or Newcastle to challenge for the first piece of silverware of the season but have seen their match with Wolves moved as a result.
The Gunners' 1-0 win over Chelsea, thanks to Kai Havertz's late strike, ensured a 4-2 win on aggregate and a place at Wembley on Sunday, 22 March at 16:30. But that sees the clash with relegation favourites Wolves brought forward by more than a month.
Arsenal will now face Wolves on Wednesday 18 February. The game will be played during the Champions League play-off round that the Gunners avoided with their perfect progression in European competition.
It sees a tight run of matches with Arsenal playing six matches in February, including last night's game against the Blues. Arsenal face Sunderland this weekend, before a run of three games in under a week.
Thursday 12th sees an away trip to Brentford before an FA Cup clash on Sunday 15 against Wigan, leading into the clash with Wolves. The north London derby rounds off the month.
Declan Rice is already feeling the impact of the fixture list. “Shattered! The schedule has been ridiculous," he said.
"Everything we’ve been building towards over the last few years has come together this season. Into our first final for a very long time, so we need to enjoy the moment.”
Arteta believes reaching the final in March is the best medicine to help recover from the busy run of fixtures they've had already. Arsenal have played 10 matches since the start of the year already.
Kai Havertz of Arsenal scores their first goal past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on February 3, 2026 in London, England
Havertz's counter-attacking goal secured Arsenal's place at Wembley Stadium(Image: 2026 Charlotte Wilson/Offside)
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"Well, it's the best vitamins that we can put in our bodies because we're playing every three days," the Spaniard said.
"But the fact that you work so hard to achieve those moments and to have these moments together, it's just magical, because you can see the joy, the smile, the energy in the dressing room and everybody who works at the club.
"So, yeah, looking forward to it."
"We are so happy," he added. "I think overall, over the last two games, we deserved to go through.
"It was a long match, we expected that, we wrapped it up at the end in a beautiful way, with Kai [Havertz] scoring the goal in the manner that he did and the reaction from the crowd."
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