Arsenal handed title-race boost by unusual run of fixtures
Arsenal’s fixture list hasn’t been kind to them so far this season.
By the time they’ve played Liverpool on Sunday and Slavia Prague next Wednesday, 10 of their first 15 games in all competitions will have been away from home. That’s unheard of and would be a demanding schedule for any side, let alone one also dealing with injuries to two of their best players, Bukayo Saka and William Saliba.
Despite that, Mikel Arteta’s side are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. And once they get through the next few weeks, the fixture list looks set to turn firmly in their favour.
Arsenal set for 11 straight games in London
After the trip to Newcastle on 21 November, Arsenal won’t play outside London for six weeks. Their next 11 games will all take place in the capital:
Borussia Dortmund (H) – Champions League – Tue 24 November
Manchester City (H) – Premier League – Sun 29 November
Brentford (A) – Premier League – Wed 2 December
Tottenham Hotspur (A) – Premier League – Sun 6 December
Real Madrid (H) – Champions League – Wed 9 December
Bournemouth (H) – Premier League – Sun 13 December
Manchester United (H) – Premier League – Sun 20 December
Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League – Sun 27 December
Fulham (A) – Premier League – Wed 30 December
Ipswich Town (H) – Premier League – Sat 2 January
Brentford (H) – Premier League – Tue 5 January
Seven of those games are at the Emirates, where Arsenal have won every match so far this season, against Coventry, Chelsea, Leeds, Lille and Everton. The other four are short trips across London. They don’t play outside the capital again until Hull away on 16 January.
How Arsenal’s run compares with Manchester City’s
City’s schedule over the same period looks far tougher on the legs. Over the same six weeks, they head to Barcelona in the Champions League, then up to Newcastle, Everton and Leeds in the league, on top of trips to Brentford and the Emirates.
City also face Bradford City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in mid-December, a fixture Arsenal no longer have to worry about after their exit at Fleetwood. You would assume City win that, where they would then face Premier League opposition in a two-legged semi-final, starting in January.
Embarrassing as Arsenal’s defeat was, it means Arteta’s side will play fewer games than City, with far less travelling. That could make a huge difference in December, when bodies tire and squads are stretched. Fewer flights and coach journeys mean more time recovering and more time on the training ground at Sobha.
Before any of it, though, there’s Anfield on Sunday, where Arsenal haven’t won a Premier League game since 2012.