After the side lost out on the 4th place finish in the Premier that would’ve guaranteed them Champions League action for the first time after 2018, Arsenal is on the lookout to make things right. The Mikel Arteta-managed side looks at a top-four finish in the 2022-23 season.
The Gunners were two points behind arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the season, owing to their dismal performances in the last few outings. While Arsenal qualifies for the UEFA Europa League for the upcoming season, their game plan is simple – finish in the top four of the Premier League.
While Mikel Arteta is busy making his picks in the transfer market, all eyes are now on the fixtures for Arsenal. Thursday nights are coming to the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal as they are back in Europe.
There’s more to fight for with Arsenal, as they are on the lookout to get back the FA Cup, the trophy the side won in 2020, and perhaps the EFL Cup as well.
The fixtures for the Premier League are officially out, along with the dates for the rest of the competition. This time, the league will break in the Winter for the FIFA World cup 2022 and will resume soon after Christmas.
The complete list of fixtures is available here, and we take a look at the key opening clashes for the season.
Aug 5 – vs. Crystal Palace (Away) – The first game is always crucial since it sets the tone for the entire season. Last year was misery as Arsenal played Brentford and lost 2-0, and the side will be looking to make amends this season.
Aug 13 vs. Leicester City (Home) – the first game at home will be tough. Both fixtures last year were won by Arsenal comfortably, and they should find this easy.
Sep 3 – vs. Manchester United (Away) – the first big game and the first time Mikel Arteta will face Eric ten Hang’s Red Devils. If United has got their act together, this will be a tight game.
Oct 1 vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Home) – the first London derby comes in October. Arsenal won the first encounter last season 3-1 and later was defeated 3-0 by the Spurs in the return fixture. Expect this to be a closely contested fixture with new faces on both teams.
Arsenal – in other tournaments
The former Champions League and Europa League finalists return to European football, and Thursday’s Arsenal tickets are again open.
Last year’s FA Cup was a disappointment for the side. After winning it last in 2019-20, Arsenal was knocked out by Nottingham Forest in the third round of play. The EFL Cup was a better story, with the team making it to the semifinals.
The semifinal was an exciting match-up against Liverpool, but in the end, Liverpool emerged victorious in the second leg to win 2-1 on aggregate. Their campaign in that competition begins in November, with their FA Cup exploits starting in January 2022.
UEFA Europa League
The news of UEFA Europa League action coming back to the Emirates was some consolation for the fans that buy Arsenal tickets. All Europa League games for the upcoming season will be played on Thursday, except the final, which is scheduled for a Wednesday.
The tentative fixtures for Arsenal are as follows:
- Group Matchdays: Sep 8, Sep 15, Oct 6, Oct 13, Oct 27, Nov 3
- Knockout round play-offs: Febr 16 (Leg 1), Feb 23 (Leg 2)
- Round of 16: Mar 9 (Leg 1), Mar 23 (Leg 2)
- Quarterfinals: Apr 13 (Leg 1), Apr 20 (Leg 2)
- Semifinals: May 11 (Leg 1), May 18 (Leg 2)
- Final: May 31
FA Cup 2022-23
The Premier League clubs will join the FA Cup in the third round, and Arsenal’s tentative fixtures for the upcoming FA Cup will be as follows:
- First Round: Nov. 5-6 (Sat-Sun)
- Second Round: Nov. 26-27 (Sat-Sun)
- Third Round (Rd of 64): Jan. 7-8 (Sat-Sun)
- Round of 32: Jan. 28-29 (Sat-Sun)
- Round of 16: Feb. 28-March 1 (Tues-Wed)
- Quarterfinals: March 18-19 (Sat-Sun)
- Semifinals: April 22-23 (Sat-Sun)
- Final: Sat, Jun 3
Carabao Cup dates 2022/23
All Carabao Cup fixtures will be played midweek, except for the final on Sunday, Feb 26.
- First Round: Aug. 9-11
- Second Round: Aug. 23-25
- Round of 32: Nov. 8-10
- Round of 16: Dec. 20-22
- Quarterfinals: Jan. 10-12
- Semifinals: Jan. 24-26 (Leg 1), Jan. 31-Feb. 2 (Leg 2)
- Final: Sun, Feb 26
Arsenal Predictions
Every season momentum is with Arsenal to perform as loyal fans anxiously wait to presume that it is ‘finally the year’.
Looking at the side, and the rumored transfers of Gabriel Jesus, Serge Gnabry, and Youri Tielamans, it feels like Arsenal is building quite the side. With goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who was instrumental in getting the 5th place and spearheading the revival midseason, Arsenal might have a chance at the top 4.
The United spending power under the newly appointed manager Erik ten Hag is preferred over the Gunners in the early predictors as the experts predict United to be the 4th place finisher and Arsenal to finish 5th.
But all this is based on speculation and how the teams have done in the pre-season. Indeed, Arteta will have different ideas to implement this season.
The defeats to Newcastle and Tottenham in the last games cost them 4th place, and the new Gunners’ side is expected to supersede expectations this season.
The relatively inexperienced Gunners boss wants this young side in the Premier League to do better in 2022/23.
Expected finish: 5th
The best and worst
The Gunners have won the league title three times – all three under legendary manager Arsene Wenger in 997/98, 2001/02, and 2003/04. The club’s worst finish was in 1994/1995 when the side finished 12th.
In 2019/20 and 2020/21, the side finished 8th, but the management still trusts the side under Arteta to perform, and there is no better time than this upcoming season to do that.
With all the buzz around this ‘new Arsenal,’ there’s definitely a lot of chatter around Arsenal tickets.
With the fixtures out for the Premier League, ticket sales have also started for Arsenal matches. But getting yourself a ticket? Almost impossible for a regular fan since Arsenal has had its reputation for being one of the most expensive ticket in England. That’s not to say that the Emirates Stadium doesn’t deliver to expectations because you get every penny you spend accounted with the atmosphere and the immersive experience the ground offers.
Provided that Arsenal makes steady progress in the cup tournaments and the Europa League, there’s plenty of opportunities for fans to watch the Gunners’ play at home. If everything fails, you’ll still have opportunities in the away games.
The early indicators are that Arsenal will be competitive and will play a different blend of football from what we’ve seen in the last few years, and you’l most certainly don’t want to miss out.
Who knows, it might be Arsenal’s league winning season!
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