Arsenal, Man City, and Aston Villa Face Crucial Five-Game Gauntlet That Could Define Their Premier League Fate
Manchester United's remarkable 3–2 triumph at the Emirates has injected fresh excitement into the Premier League title chase, with Arsenal's advantage now reduced to just four points following the weekend's results.
The North Londoners had the opportunity to establish a commanding nine-point gap when they visited the City Ground recently, but managed only a frustrating draw against a resilient Nottingham Forest team. Following Sunday's defeat, Mikel Arteta will sense the pressure mounting from Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery.
Manchester City halted their poor form with a home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Aston Villa delivered an impressive 2–0 win at Newcastle United. Their aspirations of creating an exciting title battle have received a significant boost from Michael Carrick's Red Devils.
While the final stretch remains distant, we're now approaching a pivotal phase in the 2025–26 Premier League campaign. Here's an analysis of how Arsenal's upcoming five Premier League matches stack up against their two main title rivals.
Arsenal, Man City and Aston Villa's Next Five Premier League Fixtures
Arsenal, Man City and Aston Villa's Next Five Premier League Fixtures
Arsenal (50 points) | Man City (46 points) | Aston Villa (46 points) |
|---|---|---|
Leeds Utd vs. Arsenal (Jan. 31) | Tottenham vs. Man City (Feb. 1) | Aston Villa vs. Brentford (Feb. 1) |
Arsenal vs. Sunderland (Feb. 7) | Liverpool vs. Man City (Feb. 8) | Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa (Feb. 7) |
Brentford vs. Arsenal (Feb. 12) | Man City vs. Fulham (Feb. 11) | Aston Villa vs. Brighton (Feb. 11) |
Tottenham vs. Arsenal (Feb. 22) | Man City vs. Newcastle (Feb. 21) | Aston Villa vs. Leeds Utd (Feb. 21) |
Arsenal vs. Chelsea (Mar. 1) | Leeds vs. Man City (Feb. 28) | Wolves vs. Aston Villa (Feb. 27) |
Arsenal face a couple of challenging away fixtures ahead, with Leeds United and Brentford both possessing the ability to frustrate the Gunners, similar to how Forest managed in their recent scoreless encounter at the City Ground.
Between their journeys to Elland Road and the Gtech Community Stadium, the table-toppers host a Sunderland side that struggles away from home at the Emirates.
Their upcoming schedule also features a trip to underperforming local adversaries Tottenham Hotspur and another encounter with Liam Rosenior's Chelsea.
The Gunners will hope that Spurs demonstrate some domestic reliability when Man City make the journey to N17 next weekend. Guardiola's team may require one of their characteristic winning streaks to catch the frontrunners, but they must visit Anfield and Elland Road within the coming month.
City also entertain Fulham and Newcastle United during February. The Magpies face the title contenders in the Premier League 17 days following the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at the Etihad, where their record is particularly poor.
With three of their next five league encounters taking place at home, Aston Villa potentially possess the most favorable fixture list after their excellent victory at Newcastle United. The Villans host Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds at Villa Park, while also facing away trips to Bournemouth and West Midlands neighbors Wolverhampton Wanderers.