Arsenal look to have been handed an advantage in their Premier League run-in as they face off with Man City for the Premier League title
07:00, 28 Feb 2026
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta greet one another
View 3 Images
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta are facing off for the Premier League title once again(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal have been handed a boost in their Premier League title battle with Manchester City with the Gunners facing a much more localised away schedule than their rivals. After three agonising second-place finishes in a row, Arsenal are aiming to end their 22-year long league title drought this season.
However, Mikel Arteta is once again being forced to battle Pep Guardiola’s City, who denied them in both 2023 and 2024. The Gunners currently lead City at the top of table by five points, albeit with the Sky Blues having a game in hand.
The majority of the games that Arsenal have left to play this season are taking place in the south. Arteta's side have ten games left to seal Premier League immortality while City have eleven - this includes five away games for Arsenal and six for City.
The amount of time spent travelling via plane, coach or train can have a seismic effect on teams as it can affect player's conditioning, recovery and mental acuity.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
£49
£35
Sky
Get Sky Sports here
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.
The Gunners do have a tricky tie away to City in April, a game which could operate as a title decider, which is a round trip consisting of 410 miles. That represents their biggest journey until the end of the current campaign.
City, on the other hand, face a tie away to Bournemouth which will see the Citizens undertake a staggering 500 mile round trip, their longest in the league this season.
Eberechi Eze of Arsenal celebrates scoring their first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 22, 2026 in London, United Kingdom
View 3 Images
Eberechi Eze helped Arsenal win the North London Derby(Image: Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
An 820 mile round journey, combined, to West Ham and Chelsea is also on the cards for Guardiola's side. In total, Arsenal will travel 826 miles to away games until the end of the season.
City's mileage is almost double the North London side's with a whopping 1,534 miles waiting for them, handing Arteta a slight but not insignificant advantage. Here, we take a look at each side's away ties and how much road they will each cover.
Arsenal's away game mileage (round trip)
Brighton (Amex Stadium): 30 miles
Manchester City (Etihad): 410 miles
West Ham (London Stadium): 12 miles
Crystal Palace (Selhurst Park): 24 miles
Total: 576 miles
Manchester City’s away game mileage (round trip)
Leeds United (Elland Road): 84 miles
West Ham (London Stadium): 410 miles
Chelsea (Stamford Bridge): 410 miles
Burnley (Turf Moor): 60 miles
Everton (Hill Dickinson Stadium): 70 miles
Bournemouth (Vitality Stadium): 500 miles
Total: 1,534 miles
When it comes to home games, Arsenal still have to face: Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Fulham and Burnley. At the Etihad Stadium, City will play: Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Brentford and Aston Villa.
Arsenal kept the pace at the top of the table, beating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 last weekend. City also kept up the pressure with a 2-1 win over Newcastle.
Arsenal's Spanish head coach Mikel Arteta (L) bumps arms with Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) at the end of the match during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on June 17, 2020.
View 3 Images
Mikel Arteta appears to have a slight advantage over Pep Guardiola in the title race(Image: PETER POWELL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arteta was in a buoyant mood after the victory. He believes Arsenal's performance was an emphatic response after his side let slip a 2-0 lead at Wolves in the game prior, a result that means City will win the league if they win all their remaining games this season.
"It feels that we showed what we are made of, but then you have to show it again and again and again," Arteta said. "I cannot be prouder and happier from what I saw out there, especially how we lived the last 72 hours."
Speaking of his team's chances after the win over the Magpies, Guardiola said: "Many things are going to happen. I have a feeling that we are not going to win all our games. Arsenal, I don't know.
Article continues below
"But I have this feeling, because FA Cup, Champions League games, then comes trouble. Many, many games. Injuries will come." This weekend will see Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon while City are away to Leeds on Saturday evening.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.