A review of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures by SE
With just over 48 hours to go for the Premier League season to start, we take a look at how the fixtures stack up for one of this season’s genuine title contenders.
Arsenal kick start their Premier League campaign at home to Crystal Palace, who cantered to finish 11th last season, and will prove to be a stiff test for the Gunners early on in the campaign. Arsenal then face away trips to Everton and the newly promoted Leicester City, to complete their 3 fixtures for August. While Everton away looks to be ‘the’ tough test for Arsenal in August, Crystal Palace and Leicester won’t make it any easier for the Gunners.
Following the international break in September, the Gunners face the Premier League Champions Manchester City at home; visit Aston Villa on Match day 5 of the Barclays Premier League season, before clashing with Tottenham Hotspur at home for the first North London derby of the season.
In the beginning of October we see the Gunners face an away trip to Chelsea, who are the bookies favorites to land the Premier League this season. Arsenal follow the big clash, with relatively easy fixtures against Hull City at home, and a trip to the Stadium of Light pulling the curtains for October when the table starts to take shape.
Arsenal face Manchester United at home in the fourth week of November, which will be the solitary marquee clash of the month in Arsenal’s bid to become Premier League champions. The Gunners also face Burnley at home, before away trips to Swansea and West Brom sees an end to the month of November when Arsenal, presumably, would have played 13 Premier League fixtures.
The traditionally busy December period sees Arsenal face a crunch away trip to Anfield on December 20th, which is prefixed and suffixed by relatively easy fixtures for Arsenal’s standards. We face Southampton at home in the first week of December, followed by a tricky away trip to Stoke in a span of 3 days that will test Arsenal’s squad depth and fitness robustness of the players. Arsenal then face a home clash against Newcastle on the 13th of December, before a home and away fixture against QPR and West Ham respectively brings an end to the year. Conspicuously, this is a relatively easy December period for the Gunners, who faced Man City away and Chelsea at home in the span of a week, last term, and managed to pick up a meager point from a possible six.
Arsenal face an away trip to Southampton on New Year’s Day, which is followed by home and away fixtures against Stoke City and Manchester City respectively. Aston Villa visit the Emirates on the last day of January.
February sees Arsenal visit White Hart Lane for the second North London derby of the season. Wenger’s men then face a mid-week clash at home against Leicester, which is followed by an away trip to Crystal Palace. Everton visit Emirates on the final day of February when the title race really starts to hit crunch time.
In March, Arsenal face away trips to Queens Park Rangers and Newcastle United in the first and third week of the month, with a home clash against West Ham sandwiched in between.
Arsenal face home clashes against Liverpool, Sunderland and Chelsea in April, which could very well determine where the Premier League title ends up. The North Londoners face an away trip to the newly promoted Burnley too.
The month of May sees Arsenal on the road to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, which is sandwiched in between home clashes against Swansea and West Brom. Arsenal, also, face another trip to the KC Stadium at the very beginning of the judgment month, as far as the Premier League title is concerned.
Albeit Arsenal have a relatively easy pile of fixtures in their Premier League campaign, it’s those potential banana skins that Wenger’s men need to be prudent of. Of all the enviable happenings at Emirates this English summer, the scheduling of Arsenal’s fixtures has just added a cherry on top of the cake.