Arsenal have secured themselves what could prove to be a huge Premier League title advantage over leaders Liverpool. The Gunners are currently six points off the summit with Arne Slot’s side extending that gap after beating Brentford this past Saturday while Mikel Arteta watched his players let a two-goal lead slip against Aston Villa.
That draw was Arsenal’s third from their last five games in all competitions with their FA Cup third round clash against Manchester United level after 90 minutes before they lost on penalties. The Gunners are also on the verge of Carabao Cup elimination having suffered a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their semi-final against Newcastle.
As for the Champions League, while Arsenal have been far from faultless, they were in a great position to seal automatic qualification for the last-16 stage ahead their matchday seven clash at home to Dinamo Zagreb. As clear favourites, it was perhaps no surprise Arsenal won with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all on target.
Now on 16 points, Arsenal have confirmed their spot in the top eight alongside Liverpool, Barcelona and Inter. By finishing in those places, the Gunners will not have to navigate their way through a play-off round which could in turn arrive as a major Premier League title boost.
The two legs for that round are scheduled to be played on either Tuesday, February 11 or Wednesday, February 12 with the reverse fixture the following week. Because of how the schedule has fallen, Arsenal will not play for another 10 days following their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg away at Newcastle.
A few days on from that cup tie at St James Park, the FA Cup fourth round games are scheduled to take place but Arsenal have already been knocked out. As for Liverpool, despite joining the Gunners in the league phase top eight, the title favourites must play three games.
Following their own semi-final second leg fixture against Tottenham, Liverpool take on Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup with the rearranged Merseyside Derby against Everton takes places a few days later. While that could see the Reds extend their lead at the top, it is another game for Slot to think about.
During that period, the expectation is that Arteta and his players will travel to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp which will allow some players to rest up before the business end of the season truly kicks into gear.
