The most dreaded few weeks in every Arsenal fans calendar have come around once again and following a disappointing draw to bitter rivals and fellow title hopefuls Tottenham at the start of the month, many fans left the Emirates looking to the sky in the hopes that Arsenal can avoid yet another shaky run of form late on in the year. But, prophecies aside, just how is November shaping up for the Gunners?
The next couple of weeks are occupied by an international break but the games come thick and fast in the latter half of the month beginning with an away fixture at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinhos’ Manchester United side have just one win out of their last five in the league, with their only victory coming against joint bottom of the league Swansea.
With summer marquee signings Bailly and Ibrahimovic missing the game, this is definitely a winnable match up and one that Arsenal players and fans alike would rue if we didn’t get something from.
Following that, Arsenal once again make the trip into mainland Europe for a clash against French giants Paris Saint Germain. With the knockout stage a guarantee already, this tie is likely set to decide who shall progress through to the next round at the top of the group.
Having drawn 1-1 in the first meeting after conceding a preventable early opener to Edinson Cavani, Arsenal will feel they have a great foundation to improve upon the result this time around
No doubt that PSG will prove to be a tough side and arguably the hardest tie of the month and yet an Arsenal victory away in Paris seems wholly possible.
To round out the month Arsenal have back to back ties against mid-table teams, Bournemouth in the league followed by Southampton in the EFL cup.
Bournemouth shouldn’t provide much of a speed bump in Arsenals’ season, coming off the back of a sporadic run in the league featuring losses in their last two games against Sunderland and newly promoted Middlesbrough.
However, they should be underestimated at our own peril as, despite putting up just one win in their last five, they have displayed spirited performances recently in their 0-0 draw against Tottenham and in the emphatic 6-1 win against Hull.
Then to finish the month, Arsenal play once more at the Emirates Stadium against Southampton who have earned their place in the competition, progressing through the last two rounds with victories against Sunderland and Crystal Palace. I expect a slightly more youthful side to feature against the Saints with players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez rested for the away tie at West Ham three days later.
Arsenal should glide through to the next round fairly handedly but if we do crash out of the EFL cup, a less busy schedule can’t hurt our efforts to progress in the Premier League and the Champions League.
November certainly features winnable ties for this invigorated Arsenal side and you’ll be hard pressed to find a set of games better to end the ‘November curse’ and allow the Gunners to make a very serious statement of intent.
