Arteta addresses Arsenal fixture quirk

Mikel Arteta is glad that Arsenal have an unusually long run of games in London coming up, particularly given how congested the winter calendar is.

After Tuesday’s trip to Lisbon, Arsenal have a long run of games coming up in London, starting with a trip away to West Ham on Saturday afternoon.

Responding to a question about that run in his press conference, Mikel Arteta admitted it’s a positive for his team.

“Less travelling is always better,” Arteta said. “It is crazy that we have that many games so close to us and I think it helps because of the amount of games we have to play in that period is very high as well.”

Arsenal’s next nine games in all competitions will all be in London, with five at the Emirates Stadium and the other four away to West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Brentford.

The run finally ends with an away game against Brighton on January 4th, but even that isn’t too far away.

As it stands, the three games after that are all at the Emirates Stadium too, giving Arsenal 12 games in London in their next 13 on the calendar.

But there will be at least one more fixture added to the list, with Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round tie on January 11th yet to be drawn. It could be another home game, but it could also be a trip to the other end of the country.

There’s also the possibility of a League Cup semi-final in January, depending on whether Arsenal can beat Crystal Palace in the next round.

As for why Arsenal have been blessed with all these London games, it’s worth remembering that the Gunners have spent the last month travelling around England and Europe.

Saturday’s game against West Ham may be the start of a run of games in London, but it’s also Arsenal’s sixth away game in seven matchdays, including trips to Preston, Newcastle, Milan, and Lisbon. Arteta’s side have earned a few home matches.