Christmas is just 10 days away and Arsenal will celebrate the festival on top of the Premier League table, but can we keep it up once domestic football returns on Boxing Day?
Mikel Arteta’s men have been excellent since the start of the campaign. We’ve lost just once in the league and completely deserve to be where we are – on top of the table and five points clear of Manchester City.
The next five fixtures, however, will say a lot about our title chances.
Arsenal’s next five PL games could define our season
Arsenal’s first game after the World Cup will be against West Ham United at the Emirates.
David Moyes’ side haven’t had the greatest of starts to the season, having won just four of their first 15 Premier League games, but they’re still a dangerous side. We should be at our best to get all three points.
Then, we go to Brighton on New Year’s Eve in what will be a much more difficult game. The Seagulls have already beaten us this season in the Carabao Cup, and they’re more than capable of doing that again if we’re not careful.
Our first three Premier League games of 2023 could really define our season.
We take on high-flying Newcastle United first and they’re a very strong side now. Our record against them at the Emirates is excellent, but they could well prove to be our toughest opponents of the season at that point.
Then comes the big one – the North London Derby. Arsenal battered Spurs at the Emirates earlier in the season and Antonio Conte will want his revenge. The fact that it’s away from home makes it a whole lot trickier.
Our fifth game in this run will be against Manchester United at home. The defeat at Old Trafford still stings as we completely deserved to win that game. Arteta will want to right that wrong at the Emirates next month.
If Arsenal manage to win all of these games – or at least most of them – our chances of going all the way in the title race will look a lot better.
Manchester City, Tottenham, Manchester United and Newcastle’s next five PL fixtures
Manchester City:
City have a very difficult return to the Premier League and there’s a chance they could slip up. Hopefully, they do.
- Leeds (A)
- Everton (H)
- Chelsea (A)
- Manchester United (A)
- Tottenham (H)
Tottenham:
Tottenham have a fairly easy start when the Premier League returns. But, these are the types of games they usually mess up – it would be hilarious if they do.
- Brentford (A)
- Aston Villa (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
- Arsenal (H)
- Manchester City (A)
Manchester United:
Erik Ten Hag has done a remarkable job after his disastrous start to life in the Premier League. They have three very winnable games coming up before they take on the big boys.
- Nottingham Forest (H)
- Wolves (A)
- Bournemouth (H)
- Manchester City (H)
- Arsenal (A)
Newcastle United:
The Magpies are currently third in the league table after a phenomenal start to the season. Apart from the clash against Arsenal, their upcoming games all look winnable.
- Leicester (A)
- Leeds United (H)
- Arsenal (A)
- Fulham (H)
- Crystal Palace (A)
Come On You Gunners
Arsenal’s next five games are definitely not the easiest when compared to some of the other teams here, but we should back ourselves to come out of it in good shape.
Hopefully, the others will slip up.
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