Arsenal currently sit at the top of the Premier League following game one of the 38-match season as the current “Champions of England”, after defeating Coventry City 3-0 last week.
The Gunners have a tremendous stretch of games in which to collect maximum points, stretching into the first day of November. If played correctly, it could see them stay in the lead of the title race for almost half the season.
In the Gunners’ next seven matches, they could quite easily secure a total of 21 points, which perhaps other teams in their position would struggle to do. Arsenal overcame all of those sides last season, either home or away.
Arsenal have already shown they can beat these teams
On August Bank Holiday, the Gunners face Aston Villa away from home, who admittedly they lost to 2-1 in the same game last season when Emiliano Buendia bagged a last-moment winner up in the Midlands.
However, within three weeks, the return of the Villans at the Emirates saw a 4-1 thrashing of former Arsenal manager Unai Emery’s side, who eventually claimed the Europa League five months down the line.
On Sunday, 6th September, Arsenal host London rivals Chelsea in the north of the nation’s capital, who they squeezed past in the same match last campaign 2-1, all due to a flying Jurrien Timber header midway through the second half.
A week later, the Gunners travel the eight-hour round trip to Sunderland, who admittedly held them to a late 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light last campaign, before Arsenal beat them 3-0 at home courtesy of two crucial Viktor Gyokeres strikes and a solo finish from Martin Zubimendi.
In Arsenal’s final game of September, on the 19th, Brighton will be visiting N5 from the South Coast. They were marginally beaten 2-1 with the help of captain Martin Odegaard and an own goal from the visitors to wrap up victory.
Could Arsenal still be top going into November?
Once the international break comes to an end, the men in red and white come up against Leeds United on the 10th of October, who we hammered 9-0 on aggregate across both encounters last season impressively and surely don’t stand a chance against the one and only Arsenal this season?
Within eight days, Nottingham Forest call Arsenal to the City Ground. They held us to a 0-0 draw at theirs last campaign, after we had dismantled them comfortably 3-0 in the early weeks of the 2025/26 Premier League-winning season.
Before stepping into November, Arteta’s Arsenal stage Everton, who they stole six points from across both tussles.
The most prominent of the two wins was the 2-0 breakdown of the Toffees at home, when Max Dowman found the back of the net in the final minutes to break the record for the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the age of 16 years and 73 days, incredibly.
Let’s pray the Arsenal keep up their winning ways and steer the title race in the right direction again this campaign, making the most of their good form and favourable fixture list.
COYG!
Liam Harding
Do you agree that Arsenal have a favourable run ahead of them? How many points do you think the Gunners should be targeting from these seven games, and could they still be sitting top of the Premier League going into November? Let us know in the comments.
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A dangerous attitude to have if any of the players are thinking in that way. They need to be on it in every game, no matter how easy people may think certain fixtures are.
I don’t like this favorable start talk. This league has a habit of biting you if you become complacent. Treat every game as if it will be you’re hardest, that attitude should stop any chance of complacency I hope.
I agree, but with the weekend now done, we have looked the best team. Brentford as well but wouldn’t expect them to challenge. I do think we’ll have someone challenging us for the title, not sure who it’ll be yet.
RSH,
Regarding who will challenge us, I’ll make a hesitant early call and say maybe Chelsea. With no European fixtures this season, they’ll have more preparation time.
And if their manager gets his selection right, they’ve got the players to push us. But as I said, I’m hesitant at this stage.
Absolutely agree Derek. I hope this isn’t the year they finally put all their talented pieces together.
Evening Bruised Banana,
Yes Chelsea do have the talent as you say. I think the problem with them is, that season after season their owner is like a kid in a sweet shop. He buys all these sweets, and then doesn’t know which one to eat first.
And that must be how the manager feels regarding his team selection, he never knows the right formation with all the sweets available to him.
By the way Bruised Banana, Jax turned down our invitation to join our comedy club. A big blow to our recruitment drive.😂
Good evening Derek, that medic Jose’ chased off did look pretty sweet. I agree that owner interference in the football side of things has easily been the biggest problem since the Russian was ejected. Sorry to hear about Jax, the dues must have been too high.
Bruised Banana,
that medic’ Jose chased off did look pretty sweet. Very good. 😂🤣🤞
Absolutely agree with your thoughts. I wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs too put up a good fight for the title when you consider their squad and coach. I hope the players are not having the complacent mindset, because it’s going to be a tough season.
One game at a time and beat the team in front of you. Thats it.
👍👍Reggie
So much easier said than done with human players, but spot on Derek.
There’s no small team in the premier, this teams we consider small teams, can win the French league,we saw what wolves,and even Brighton,Brentford did to Arsenal, Hull City has just taught Man United a lesson, Arsenal has the chance now to dominate the premier league and can even go invisible, they lost only three games last season,and now the team is better, they Shouldn’t take anyone for granted.
Jose S Achu,
You say that Arsenal has the chance now to dominate the Premier League and can even go invisible😂.
Now what an advantage that would be, not being able to see you’re opponent. We’d be guaranteed the League.
But all jokes aside, I believe you meant invincible. At least I hope you did.😂👍
idk Derek there have been time when I’ve wanted to have that invisible hand of god help our open play.
Bruised Banana,
I think with some of the football we played last season, even God was looking the other way. 😂🤣
Derek, remember to some of us English is a second or even third language. So mastering it takes a long time. Those of us who have been using it for decades don’t find it a problem. However, English is always a tricky language because of its twists and turns.
I don’t agree that there are easy games in EPL. Any team can beat another on any given day. Winning shouldn’t be taken for granted. There is no formula. That’s what makes EPL intriguing!
David Rusa,
Regards you’re remarks concerning English being the second or third language for some poster’s. I’m not setting out to offend when I answer said post. It’s just that some of the words that get lost in translation can be funny, and all I’m doing is looking for the humour.
Many poster’s on here will know me well by now for my sense of humour. Whether they share my sense of humour is another story.
But be rest assured I never set out to offend anyone, and if I have I apologize unreservedly.
I really believe a fixture list is important, and take it seriously. When sides get on a roll, they play better, they get less pressure from fans, the media,not what they put on themselves. The flip side is pressure growing on players and fans.
In their title year under Slot, the fixture list helped Liverpool to a flyer. I don’t think we had an easy start last season. And I wouldn’t call this years easy. I call start being whole first half of the season. The real danger is sequence of tougher challenges, where it all goes wrong, knocking the stuffing out of confidence, we won’t know ours till the ECL fixtures, the travelling involved and who we get home and away, the prem games either side.
They tweaked ECL so finishing top helps more than in the first season of it, so if we are targetting ECL – rather than treating it as the bit of random fun it actually is – then finishing top of the first phase is worth going for.
I think Spuds have the most challenging prem fixtures first half of season. But with no Euro football, whole weeks to prepare, they don’t have many excuses nor excuses for good domestic cup runs.
the first game week over, and already some surprise result´s. the villains got battered and so did Spurs.
this league just keeps giving.. but arsenal must keep their focus and hunger. If Nelli leaves I prefer Oshimen
over Alvarez or Leao. He will terrorize big English defenders like nobody else (except. Haaland maybe )
Liverpool look slow and sluggish??
After the results of the first week’s fixtures so far can we really say that the games we have coming up are more favourable. As a couple of people on here has said just treat the next game as the most important of the season and not get ahead of ourselves , which by the way I’m sure that’s what Arteta is saying to the squad.
Arsenal don’t enjoy favourable first weeks fixtures compared to direct rivals. In between these fixtures there are Carabao Cup matches and also players travel for internationals which complicate the weight of games. Consecutive away games have their own repercussions.
Villa are now wounded animals and they want to prove the Brentford game is a fluke. Chelsea are serious title challengers. Moreover Arsenal face consecutively Spanish coaches who for me are shrewd tacticians.
In agreement with all the points raised.
Chelsea do have an advantage with no European football – but they have to make it count – and hopefully they won’t.
In previous seasons we lost and drew with ‘lesser’ teams – in games we would have usually been ‘expected to win’.
A so called ‘easier’ fixture list doesn’t really exist in reality, but is a psychological advantage IF the team is in the right frame of mind themselves to take advantage of it.
I think Reggie sums it up best of all:
‘One game at a time and beat the team in front of you. That’s it.’
That hits the nail squarely on the head.
Chris S,
Bang on. 👍
Seen some fans already declared the league is won after just 1 game either in jest or seriously mean it.
I gauge after 10 games and where sit and then After Xmas if we are still in the mix. April always brings us a nail biting month where we pick up least points so hopefully we can change that.
1 down 37 to go and as most of you have already said
We take 1 game at a time. Cant quite remember what manager quoted that saying?
Onwards and upwards
Facing bogey team. Villa and a title challenger Chelsea consecutively is never considered as favourable fixtures.