Arsenal’s Next 5 Premier League Fixtures Compared to Man City’s

The next month could prove decisive in the Premier League title race.

Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola are going head-to-head once more. / Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal/Andrew Kearns/CameraSport/Getty Images

Arsenal and Manchester City are separated by six points in the Premier League title following the conclusion of gameweek 21.

After recent draws against Sunderland and Chelsea, City dropped points for the third game running when Brighton & Hove Albion held them to a 1–1 scoreline on Wednesday.

Arsenal then went into battle 24 hours later, hosting Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, with the opportunity to extend their lead over City at the top of the table. It was a chance they could not take in a big game that lacked quality in the final third.

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With Christmas been and gone, this is the stage of the season where it really starts to matter.

Neither can afford to give an inch, with City playing catchup, waiting for Arsenal to slip, and the Gunners determined to hold their nerve to land a first league title in 22 years.

But there are other considerations. Both teams are competing in four different competitions and, following this week’s fixtures, neither is playing again in the league until January 17—each has FA Cup third round and Carabao Cup semi-final first leg commitments to come between now and then.

The final two Champions League league phase matches are also interspersed with other competitions in the remainder of January, while Carabao Cup second legs are scheduled for the first week in February, making the calendar super busy outside of the Premier League alone.

Looking at the league fixture list, City have the tougher run over the next month.

Man City have already been dropping more points than Arsenal. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

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Arsenal, Man City’s Next 5 Premier League Fixtures

Arsenal	Man City
Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal (Jan. 17)	Man Utd vs. Man City (Jan. 17)
Arsenal vs. Man Utd (Jan. 25)	Man City vs. Wolves (Jan. 24)
Leeds Utd vs. Arsenal (Jan. 31)	Tottenham vs. Man City (Feb. 1)
Arsenal vs. Sunderland (Feb. 7)	Liverpool vs. Man City (Feb. 8)
Brentford vs. Arsenal (Feb. 12)	Man City vs. Fulham (Feb. 11)

Pep Guardiola must prepare his side for three big away games, against an unpredictable Manchester United—often more competitive against better opposition, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium should be a breeze, while Fulham at home is also on the more favourable side of the coin, although not easy by any stretch.

Arsenal’s hardest test sees Manchester United visit north London, although Brentford overtook the Red Devils this week to climb as high as fifth. But otherwise for Mikel Arteta and co. it’s Sunderland, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest—the latter two are in the bottom five.

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