The holiday season, encompassing both CHRISTMAS and the New Year, is often one of the most chaotic times for many, with travel commonly playing a crucial part in the planning.

This holds particularly true in the realm of football, and Arsenal is no exception, facing a busy timetable.

Arsenal have avoided any huge away days over the Christmas and New Year period

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Arsenal have managed to avoid any major away fixtures during the Christmas and New Year periodCredit: Getty

Luckily for Arsenal, their Christmas schedule features an unexpectedly low amount of travel over the next 13 matches.

They will venture outside of London just ONCE before January 22, with all three away fixtures occurring within the city.

The upcoming game against Brighton on January 4, 2025, will be the only Premier League match that isn’t a London derby and is played away from home.

Incredibly, Arsenal will play nine of their games at the Emirates Stadium during this period, beginning with Manchester United on Wednesday and concluding with Dinamo Zagreb on January 22.

During this timeframe, they will cover just below 250 miles in travel.

Brighton will account for a significant portion of that total, adding 177.4 miles.

Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Brentford will contribute 21.2, 26, and 24 miles respectively.

Mikel Arteta and his squad may have had worries about the fatigue from travel due to a potentially tough FA Cup third-round draw.

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However, they were lucky to escape any considerable travel in tonight’s FA Cup third-round draw, as they will face Manchester United at the Emirates.

This setup means they will meet both Crystal Palace and Man Utd two times throughout this period.

Moment huge brawl breaks out in West Ham end with punches thrown and a fan knocked to the ground during the London derby against Arsenal

After their 5-2 triumph over West Ham on Saturday, which was an 11.8-mile journey in itself, Arsenal finds themselves nine points behind the league leaders, Liverpool.

This advantageous schedule with minimal travel could help them bridge that gap.

In the same period, Arne Slot’s side will be visiting Newcastle, Girona, Southampton, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford – none of which are particularly nearby.

Still, Arsenal aims to take advantage of this opportunity to chase the leaders as the season unfolds, despite the fact that a nine-point lead at this stage has never been overturned in Premier League history.

Arsenal ratings vs West Ham

The London derby between WEST HAM and Arsenal was an electrifying contest, featuring SEVEN goals within the first half alone.

The Gunners raced to a 4-0 advantage within just 35 minutes, only for the Hammers to retaliate with two rapid goals, including a magnificent free-kick from Emerson.

Bukayo Saka’s penalty just before the break brought the score to 5-2, marking only the fourth occasion in Premier League history where seven goals have been netted before halftime.

A quieter second half ensued, with Mikel Arteta making numerous substitutions, particularly in anticipation of Wednesday night’s encounter with Man Utd at the Emirates.

This victory propelled the Gunners into second place in the Premier League, six points behind Liverpool ahead of the pivotal match between the leaders and a struggling Man City on Sunday.

Check out how SunSport’s Charlie Pittock rated the Arsenal players.