Leeds United will be hopeful they can take advantage of Arsenal’s long European away trip when they face the Gunners on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side travel to Norway this evening to face Bodo/Glimt just three days before they make the journey up north to Elland Road.
Arsenal have so far been the Premier League’s stand-out team as they sit top of the table with eight wins from nine. However, October is set to provide them with a big test of their squad due to the congested nature of the fixture list ahead of the World Cup.
Arteta will no doubt freshen up his side against Bodo/Glimt this evening but injuries are likely to mean some first-choice players will be in the starting XI. So, with that in mind, here is a look at Arsenal’s record in matches from the last four seasons directly after a Europa League away day.
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2020/21
Due to their long run to the semi-finals, Arsenal played seven Premier League games immediately after European away matches in 2020/21. Their record, particularly in the first half of the season, was very poor.
The Gunners suffered four defeats against Leicester City, Wolves, Burnley and Manchester City, all of which were at the Emirates. They did manage to beat Spurs and Newcastle but suffered another disappointing result with a home draw against Fulham.
Win percentage: 28.5%
2019/20
During the 2019/20 campaign, Arsenal played on four occasions after a Europa League away match after being knocked out early on by Olympiacos. They managed two wins against Aston Villa and Everton, but were also beaten comfortably at Leicester City, and at home by Man City.
Win percentage: 50%
2018/19
This was a much better season for Arsenal, as they won four of six matches after a European away trip. They defeated Fulham, Spurs, Manchester United and Burnley all by a margin of at least two goals.
Arsenal did, however, pick up a draw and a defeat against Crystal Palace. All in all, a vast improvement on the two aforementioned seasons.
Win percentage: 66.6%
2017/18
Again, in 2017/18 Arsenal picked up some solid results in six matches post-Europe away games. The Gunners won on five occasions, beating Brighton, Everton, Burnley (twice) and Watford.
Their only defeat came on the road against Newcastle.
Win percentage: 83%
Overall, Arsenal’s record post-European away days has actually got worse season by season. That said, 2019/20 and 2020/21 were really poor years for Arsenal domestically and the club were very much in a transitional phase.
This season, their squad feels much more equipped to being able to cope with such a packed run of matches. It is still certainly a grain of hope that Leeds should cling onto, though, in what is set to be a very difficult match for the Whites at Elland Road.
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