Arsenal fixtures: Next six games with confirmed Europa League last 16 dates
Arsenal’s season is truly approaching crunch time as they target a first Premier League title since 2003/04 and success in Europe.
A tough run of form has seen the Gunners‘ lead at the top of England’s top flight shrink to two points, though they have a game in hand over Pep Guardiola’s inconsistent Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta has also discovered who his side will take on in their Europa League tie. Arsenal skipped the knockout playoff round by winning their group and have been pitted against Portuguese side Sporting CP in the last 16.
Here’s the north London side’s upcoming run of fixtures.
Arsenal will have the opportunity to stretch their lead over Man City to five points before their rivals play on Saturday when they visit Leicester that afternoon.
The Gunners have an excellent record against the Foxes in recent years, winning five of their last six meetings in all competitions. They beat Brendan Rodgers‘ side 4-2 back in August, with Gabriel Jesus netting twice alongside strikes from Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal have built a winning habit this season, but defeat at Goodison Park back in early February saw them lose back to back games having been dumped out of the FA Cup.
The new manager bounce Sean Dyche brought to Everton saw the visitors frustrated in front of goal before James Tarkowski scored from a set piece on the hour mark.
This fixture was originally supposed to take place back in September but was postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Arsenal’s second Premier League game in March sees them host south coast side Bournemouth. The Cherries are currently sat 17th and in real danger of relegation with only one win from their last eight league games.
The Gunners were triumphant when they visited the Vitality Stadium in August, with Jesus running the show and William Saliba scoring a banger from distance.
The first leg of Arsenal’s Europa League last 16 tie with Sporting CP will be played in Portugal, as Arsenal were seeded for the draw and therefore play the return leg at home.
The Gunners‘ last visit to Sporting was a successful one; Danny Welbeck scored the only goal of the game as Unai Emery’s side secured a 1-0 victory in 2018.
Fulham have been one of the surprise packages of the season, remaining in with a shout of European qualification despite widely being tipped for relegation at the start of the campaign.
Aleksandar Mitrovic gave the Cottagers the lead at the Emirates in the first game earlier this season. but Arsenal showed great strength of will to turn the game around and win 2-1 thanks to strikes from Martin Odegaard and Gabriel.
Arsenal’s last game against Sporting wasn’t one to write home about as the 2018 clash ended goalless. It did, however, extend their unbeaten run to 15 games and put them three points clear in that Europa League group.
They’ll hope to finish the job in the last 16 at the Emirates in this second leg, though it remains to be seen whether manager Arteta will start to prioritise the Premier League title charge over a good run in the Europa League.