Arsenal could play 14 of 15 consecutive fixtures in London

Arsenal added yet another London fixture to their upcoming calendar on Monday, drawing Manchester United in the FA Cup third round.

The FA Cup third-round draw took place on Monday night, with all of the remaining teams yet to feature in the competition joining at this stage.

That included all of the big-six, and just like last year, Arsenal drew one of their big-six rivals in the third round. Last time it was Liverpool, this time Manchester United.

The two teams might feel a bit hard done by drawing each other, especially when you look at the other big-six draws.

Manchester City play League Two Salford City at home, Liverpool play League Two Accrington Stanley at home, Chelsea play League Two Morecambe at home, and Spurs play away to National League side Tamworth FC.

The game also isn’t at an ideal time, scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, January 11th.

That’s just days before the north London derby on January 15th, with a game against Aston Villa after that on January 18th. Ideally, Arsenal would have faced a lower-league opponent in the build up to those two matches, allowing them to rest some players.

The calendar could get even more congested if Arsenal win their League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace, earning them a semi-final first leg on January 8th.

The six teams Arsenal could potentially face in that semi-final match are Spurs, United, Newcastle, Brentford, Southampton, and Liverpool. All Premier League opponents.

It’s not impossible Arsenal could end up playing Liverpool, followed by United, followed by Spurs, followed by Aston Villa, all in the space of 10 days.

On the upside, it’s yet another London fixture for the Gunners. After playing West Ham at the weekend, Arsenal’s next 13 matches include 12 London games.

If the Gunners make the League Cup semi-final and are drawn at home first, and if you include Saturday’s West Ham game, the team could play 14 matches in 15 in London. The only exception being an away trip to Brighton on January 4th.

There are plenty of tricky opponents on the list, but the reduced travel time should certainly help Mikel Arteta’s side.