Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The 2014/15 Premier League Fixtures

The Premier League fixture list was published on 18 June. Arsenal will kick off their 2014/15 campaign with a home match against Crystal Palace. Hopefully, it will be a lot different outcome from the last season's opening game, a shock defeat to Aston Villa. We are hoping that Arsenal will extend their unbeaten run of home games since that day into the new season. At the other end of the fixture list, it's good to end the season with the lap of appreciation in front of the home crowd for the first time in the last 5 years.

The fixture list looks better than last season. OK, everybody has to play everybody else home and away at some time of the season, but at least there is no repeat of last season's February-March fixtures, when we had to play against our title rivals in succession in addition to the two-legged the Champions League round of the last 16.

The first of those so-called big matches is a trip to Goodison Park on 23 August. The game comes between the two legs of the Champions League play-off. It is expected to be a tough game, but we need to win this to get off to a good start. Hopefully, the squad will be strong enough to cope with the busy start of the new season, which will begin a week earlier than usual due to Arsenal's involvement in the Community Shield.

North London derbies are always the first fixtures we look at in the calendar. In this season, we will face our local rivals on 27 September 2014 at the Emirates and 7 February 2015 at White Hart Lane.

The focal point of our Benidorm trip next year could be a home game against Everton as this fixture falls on the last weekend of February, which is our usual date for the annual event. Last season, the Sunderland game at home offered us an ideal party feel with a comfortable 4-1 victory, but this fixture looks a bit tricky. Having said that, it will be another story if we are in the Capital One Cup final next season, which will fall on the same weekend.

The fixtures that attracted the attraction of the media include a clash with Chelsea at the Emirates in April and Arsenal's visit to Old Trafford for the penultimate game of the season. The former will give a chance to see how the former Gunner Cesc Fabregas will be received at the Emirates, which the press are eagerly awaiting. The mid-May date with Man U is tipped as one of the possible title deciders. Let's hope Arsenal will be still in the race as late as that next season.

We welcome three newly promoted sides, which are Leicester City, Burnley, and QPR. Leicester City will make their return to England's top-flight league after a decade's absence. QPR and Burnley have more recent experiences in the Premier League, with QPR only missing one season. With QPR coming back to the Premier League and Fulham relegated, we have the same number of London derbies as last season.

With no major competitions to be held in the summer of 2015, the Premier Season season will stretch to 24 May (The FA Cup final is scheduled for the following weekend on Saturday 30 May). It's going to be a real marathon. All the more we need to manage the fitness of the players well. Hopefully, the newly signed fitness coach will make a difference in the new season.

Please see below the Arsenal FC DRAFT fixtures for season 2014-2015, but don’t build your life around these dates as we would expect there to be many changes for TV, Cup games etc. We will update our fixture list on this blog from time to time throughout the season.

AUGUST
16SatHCrystal Palace
23SatAEverton
30SatALeicester City
SEPTEMBER
13Sat HManchester City
20Sat AAston Villa
27Sat HTottenham Hotspur 
OCTOBER
4Sat AChelsea
18Sat HHull City
25Sat ASunderland 
NOVEMBER
1Sat HBurnley
8Sat ASwansea City
22Sat HManchester United 
29Sat AWest Bromwich Albion
DECEMBER
2Tue HSouthampton
6SatAStoke City
13Sat HNewcastle United 
20Sat ALiverpool
26Fri HQueens Park Rangers
28Sun AWest Ham United
JANUARY
1Thu ASouthampton
10Sat HStoke City
17Sat AManchester City 
31Sat HAston Villa
FEBRUARY
7Sat ATottenham Hotspur
10Tue HLeicester City
21Sat ACrystal Palace 
28Sat HEverton
MARCH
3Tue AQueens Park Rangers
14Sat HWest Ham United
21Sat ANewcastle United 
APRIL
4Sat HLiverpool
11Sat ABurnley
18Sat HSunderland (or FA Cup S/F)
25Sat HChelsea
MAY
2Sat AHull City
9Sat HSwansea City
16Sat AManchester United 
24Sun HWest Bromwich Albion



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