Arsenal’s first half of the season has been truly remarkable, as they have won 16 of their opening 19 Premier League matches, with their most recent victories coming away at Tottenham and at home to Manchester United. The Gunners maintain their five point lead at the top of the table. However, they still have 19 games to play and face some big tests during the second half of the season, including two crucial fixtures against second-placed Manchester City.
Plus, there are also some tricky away games to come, with Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham, Liverpool and Newcastle amongst the teams they have to play on the road. So, with that in mind, here are six vital Premier League fixtures that Arsenal have between now and May.
Manchester City (H) – 15th February: Arsenal’s closest challengers in terms of league position. Although City haven’t been at their fluent best recently, they are still very capable of putting together a huge winning run. This will undoubtedly be the ultimate test this season and if Arsenal can win that, then they will be considered as genuine title favourites.
Aston Villa (A) – 18th February: This already has the makings to be a tasty affair as Unai Emery will be facing his former club. He will be very motivated to beat Arsenal again given his sacking back in November 2019. Aston Villa have also picked up their form since his arrival in October, so this will be another hurdle for Arsenal to bypass on their title charge.
Liverpool (A) – 8th April: No matter how poor and inconsistent Liverpool have been this season, Anfield is always a difficult place to go. This game will certainly have extra bite in April if Liverpool are fighting for the top four and Arsenal for the title. Another huge test for the Gunners, as they have lost all six of their last league visits to Anfield.
Manchester City (A) – 26th April: Arsenal last won at the Etihad back in January 2015, with City winning the last six matches between the two sides in Manchester. After the Gunners travelled to City in the FA Cup, they already have had a taste this season of what this fixture is like – but there is no doubt this one is more important.
Chelsea (H) – 29th April: This London Derby is always one of the biggest within the calendar. Despite Chelsea’s form and league position, they will be right up for this game and won’t want Arsenal to win the title. However, Arsenal’s recent record against Chelsea is very good with four wins from their last five – which they will be looking to build on.
Newcastle (A) – 6th May: Newcastle are one of two sides to draw against Arsenal in the league this term. This is also set up to be a very hard away trip as Newcastle are flying high in the top four places and could still have a late say in this title race. Like the Gunners, Newcastle have also only lost one game and are unbeaten at home this season.
