When do Arsenal play next? Next six games after international break

There are few teams for which the international break could have come at a worse time than Arsenal.

A dramatic, inspired and late 3-1 victory over Manchester United just before the international break helped the Gunners rediscover the confidence and good vibes that perhaps eluded them in the opening three weeks of the Premier League season.

Narrow victories over Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace were followed by a disappointing home draw to Fulham, despite the Cottagers being down to ten players for the final part of the game.

That victory over long-standing rivals United will have lifted spirits and Mikel Arteta will be hoping those positive feelings will not have dissipated by the time many of his players return from international duty.

Here are Arsenal’s next six fixtures after the international break.

“I want the team to know how much I love them,” said Arteta after Arsenal’s 1-0 loss at Goodison Park in February last season. That love was rewarded when Everton travelled to the Emirates just under a month later with the Gunners dispatching the Toffees in a ruthless 4-0 victory.

Arteta, who played for both clubs during his career, knows a trip to the blue half of Merseyside is never straightforward, even with Everton already in crisis just four games into the new season.

In fact, Arsenal haven’t won at Goodison Park since a 5-2 victory in October 2017, having lost their last three visits. Arteta will be hoping his players aren’t too jet-lagged for this one after their international excursions.

Arsenal’s first taste of Champions League football since 2017 will come shortly after the international break when they play host to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. The Gunners will be eager to get off to a positive start in what seems a fairly simple group on paper, but Arteta is well aware of PSV’s qualities.

Arsenal played the Dutch outfit twice in last season’s Europa League group stage, winning the home tie but being outclassed in the reverse fixture in Eindhoven. PSV also knocked the Gunners out of the Champions League way back in 2007, beating Arsene Wenger’s side 2-1 on aggregate in the last 16.

Arteta needs to guard against complacency when Peter Bosz’s side arrive in north London on 20 September, with nothing but three points acceptable.

The game that Arsenal fans probably looked for first when the season’s fixtures were announced, the first north London derby of the campaign is on the horizon. Arsenal will play hosts to their bitter rivals on 24 September in a game that promises to be even more intriguing this year as Ange Postecoglou gets his claws stuck into Tottenham.

Arsenal did the double over Spurs for the first time since the 2013/14 season last campaign, with convincing 3-1 and 2-0 victories pouring even more misery on the Lilywhites. To do the same this season will prove more challenging for Arteta’s side given Tottenham’s positive start to life under their new coach.

More good news for Arsenal supporters is that their side have won four of the last five meetings and there will be no Harry Kane to ruin their afternoon this year.

Arsenal face a tricky trip to Brentford in their first Carabao Cup outing of the new campaign and will be aiming to avoid defeat in the third round for the second successive season.

The Gunners lost 3-1 at home to Brighton at this stage of last season’s tournament and Brentford will pose a similarly stern test for Arteta’s team.

Arsenal managed a win and a draw against the Bees in the Premier League last year, but Arteta may be tempted to rotate his side given the hectic schedule brought about by Champions League football.

The Gunners did face the Bees in the third round of the Carabao Cup back in 2018, beating a very different looking Brentford side 3-1.

It’s still difficult to know what to expect of Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, but it may be a bit clearer by the time Arsenal travel to the Vitality Stadium in late September.

Arsenal won both games against the Cherries last season, albeit needing a 96th-minute winner from Reiss Nelson in a 3-2 victory at the Emirates. Arteta’s side should have no issues dispatching a Bournemouth team that is yet to convince in the Premier League this season.

Bournemouth have only won one of 14 clashes with the Gunners in their history – a 2-1 home win in 2018. If all goes to plan for Arsenal, Bournemouth’s dire record should continue.

In what will be Arsenal’s third straight away game in all competitions, they will travel to Stade Bollaert-Delelis for their second Champions League group stage match.

The Gunners have faced the French side four times in their history, most recently in the UEFA Cup in 2000. Arsenal have won two, drawn one and lost one of those encounters and cannot take Lens for granted – Franck Haise’s side finished just a point off Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain last season.

However, Lens have struggled to rediscover last season’s scintillating form after losing several key players such as Lois Openda and Seko Fofana, meaning Arsenal will still be strong favourites for the three points.

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