Advantage Arsenal over Liverpool as fixture schedule helps Mikel Arteta with absence of 11-goal star

Add as preferred source on Google

The fixture list for the 2025/26 season has been announced, and one thing could trigger relief at Arsenal.

No fixture in the Premier League is easy, but next season, there will be no time to ease into the awaited clashes against the big six.

Arsenal will play Manchester United in the first game of the campaign, kicking off the 2025/26 calendar at Old Trafford.

Before anything else, Mikel Arteta will want to start as he means to go on with three points, which will also be crucial to Arsenal maintaining their record against the big six.

Arsenal fans learned when the Gunners face the big six in the 2025/26 season, and in one fixture, the North Londoners might just receive a very helpful boost.

• READ MORE: Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League fixture list in full as Mikel Arteta aims to end 22-year title wait

AFCON could give Arsenal an advantage against Liverpool

One of the most daunting fixtures from the big six is the home and away clashes against Premier League champions Liverpool.

Arsenal haven’t lost to the Reds in the Premier League since 2022, but also haven’t got the better of Liverpool at Anfield since 2012, with a curse to overturn in 2025/26.

The Gunners’ trip to Merseyside is scheduled for gameweek three, starting the season off with a resounding challenge, with the return fixture at the Emirates scheduled for January.

In gameweek 21, Arsenal are set to face Liverpool in N5, with the fixture proposed to take place on January 7th, which is very interesting as the clash will overlap with the Africa Cup of Nations.

AFCON has impacted Arsenal before, but this time, the tournament could hand the Gunners an overdue boost.

Mohamed Salah is expected to be a part of the mid-season competition, which, depending on Egypt’s progression in the tournament, could rule the winger out of the clash at the Emirates.

Salah has 19 career appearances at AFCON, reaching the final with Egypt in 2022, where he missed out on the prize in defeat to Senegal.

The 33-year-old is in the form of his life and will be crucial to his country at AFCON, which is music to Arsenal’s ears. 

Mohamed Salah’s scoring record against Arsenal 

Salah absolutely loves playing against Arsenal, and every team in the Premier League, it seems, on the back of his staggering 47 G/A campaign. 

The Egyptian has faced the Gunners 18 times in his domestic career, representing both Liverpool and Chelsea.

In that time, Salah has scored 11 times as well as chiming in with four assists, being a frequent punisher to those in N5.

Having the right winger unavailable would be a blow for Liverpool, and a triumph for Arsenal, who would wish to eliminate the veteran from every game they face against the Reds.