Both Arsenal and Manchester City have been handed a nightmare fixture schedule change ahead of their match in the Premier League in late September.
Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola have battled it out for the title over the past two campaigns, with the latter ending up triumphant.
However, the Gunners will fancy their chances this time around after showing continual improvement season after season.
If Arsenal manage that this time around, there is a good chance that the Premier League trophy will end up at the Emirates Stadium in May.
However, the juggernaut that is Man City stands in their way, with an early season test against them coming up.
Despite that huge head-to-head coming around the corner, neither side will be pleased with how the fixture schedule around the clash has landed.
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Arsenal and Man City fixture schedule update
Heading into the big clash on September 22, neither team will be impressed with how the fixture schedule has fallen.
For Arsenal, they have to take on Tottenham the week before, with a trip to Atalanta following on Thursday.
That means the Gunners only have two days of rest to return from Italy and prepare properly for the title showdown.
Arteta must then pick up his side to take on League One side Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup on the Wednesday after.
Guardiola has a slightly easier build-up to the tie, taking on Inter Milan on the Wednesday before the clash – giving his City side an extra day of rest.
The challenge for Man City comes after they face Arsenal on Sunday as their EFL Cup match against Watford has been moved to the following Tuesday.
That means the current champions have to play two games in three days, which will be far from an easy task.
For both teams, it represents a nightmare fixture schedule as they look to win every game possible in the upcoming period, though City have the advantage of being at home for their run-in.
Arsenal and Man City fixtures before and after head-to-head
Arsenal:
- September 15: Tottenham v Arsenal – Premier League
- September 19: Atalanta v Arsenal – Champions League
- September 22: Man City v Arsenal – Premier League
- September 25: Arsenal v Bolton – EFL Cup
- September 28: Arsenal v Leicester – Premier League
Manchester City:
- September 14: Man City v Brentford – Premier League
- September 18: Man City v Inter Milan – Champions League
- September 22: Man City v Arsenal – Premier League
- September 24: Man City v Watford – EFL Cup
- September 28: Newcastle v Man City – Premier League
Arsenal’s squad depth will be crucial in the Premier League title chase
With the fixture list looking even more congested, the importance of Arsenal’s squad depth becomes clear.
The Gunners will need all of their players to chip in at different moments throughout the season to help earn a trophy or two by the end of it.
Whether it’s the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup or EFL Cup, Arteta will likely have to mix and match his sides for different needs.
If injuries hit, the Arsenal boss will also need to place that faith in his squad players to get the side the victories they need.
His ability to deal with this will be put to the test in the North London Derby, where there will be no Declan Rice or Mikel Merino to pick from.
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