It goes without saying that it is important to start a league campaign well – especially in a division as competitive as the Premier League. It is something that Arsenal have been able to do effectively over the course of the last few years but this time around, it will be more important than ever.
While it isn’t a certainty, it definitely feels like it is shaping up to be a three-horse race for the Premier League crown. Manchester City and Liverpool have ruled over the top flight with an iron fist for years now and have strengthened their squad for the 2025/2026 season.
Despite being trophyless in the last five years, the Gunners have come 2nd in each of the last three seasons. It is because of this that they are second favourites behind Liverpool who were third favourites at the start of their dominant season. If you have found some good odds, you can calculate potential winnings here.
The old argument that “everyone plays everyone twice” doesn’t really make sense when it comes to analysing the Premier League schedule. Some teams will have tough starts, some will have a tough Christmas period, and some will have a tough run-in. If you’re really unlucky, you may even get two or three of those under your belt.
For Arsenal, it is the next six games that will put Mikel Arteta and this squad to the test. They will be facing off with some of the very best that the Premier League has to offer, and if they can come out of it relatively unscathed, that will tell us a lot about the mentality of this team.
On the opening weekend, Arsenal started off in a composed, professional manner with a 1-0 win on the road to a tough Manchester United side.
Next, in their first home game of the season, they’ll welcome Leeds United, a team that is ready to prove themselves in the wake of their promotion from the Championship.
From there, things just go from bad to worse in terms of the strength of the schedule. The Gunners head back to the north west to take on reigning champions Liverpool on August 31st, and two weeks later, they will return to the Emirates where they’ll play host to last season’s surprise package, Nottingham Forest.
After rounding off their September home schedule against Manchester City, who have a real point to prove this season, they’ll take a third trip up north, this time to visit League Cup winners Newcastle United. They’ll then start October against West Ham which, hopefully, will serve as the start of a slightly less intense stretch.
It is certainly not out of the question that Arsenal could be top of the table by the time we reach October. In equal measure, this is the kind of run that will leave many fans up in arms saying “wait, really?”.
Arsenal have thrown a lot into their summer transfer window thus far and you can tell that Arteta can feel the pressure growing. Hopefully, at the very least, they can put forward the kind of start that gives supporters hope that something special could happen between now and May.