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Arsenal have seen better days in the Premier League. The Gunners will be gunning for something better than the fifth-placed finish they managed to achieve in their latest campaign when the top flight rolls around once again. This, however, is not going to be easy considering the heavy competition. So following the announcement of the Premier League fixtures list, we give you five key dates that will decide whether Arsenal can improve on last season’s final standing…
31 August, Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Arsenal’s biggest worry in reaching anything higher than that fifth spot will be taking down teams that already occupy it. Spurs managed to beat them by one point last year and winning at home early against them could prove crucial in the long run.
28 September, Manchester United (A)
Following the same pattern, the Gunners will have to be able to stay ahead of those that were below them. United beat them at Old Trafford last time they met there so clinching a win here next time is an absolute must for Unai Emery and his troops. Not to mention the Red Devils will have roughly the same goals as Arsenal heading into the new season.
26 October, Crystal Palace (H)
Even though this one doesn’t seem as big, it really is. Palace are one of those teams that regularly chipped points off of the Gunners last season, both home and away, so getting the better of them and doing it against the Premier League’s rank and file will be vital – especially since they play Wolves at the Emirates the week after. Must win games for them in October if they want to improve.
28 December, Chelsea (H)
Games against Chelsea barely need an introduction and seeing how the Blues are directly in their way to the top four, Arsenal will absolutely have to win their matches against their city rivals. But the trick is that Chelsea at home is a start of an awful sequence of games: Chelsea (H), Man Utd (H), Palace (A). Getting off to a bad start could lead to a very poor run of results.
14 March, Brighton (A)
Brighton away is sort of the cherry on the top of this list. Beating the best is a must but not dropping points against lower-placed teams is somewhat of Arsenal’s speciality. Brighton held them to a draw both times they met last season and this game is also sandwiched between West Ham (H) and Southampton (A), both of whom beat the Gunners in 2018/19. Against this calibre of team, improvement is greatly needed.
