Arsenal’s next four fixtures compared to Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City after Nottingham Forest 5-0 demolition

Arsenal returned to winning ways with an emphatic 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Sunday as Reiss Nelson impressed off the bench.

Bukayo Saka’s first-half injury has left the Gunners and England sweating over his fitness with the World Cup just weeks away. The 21-year-old took a heavy kick to his ankle early in the match and was unable to continue after twice receiving treatment on the pitch before being replaced by Nelson.

The 22-year-old took his chance to make an impact as he scored twice and registered one assist, taking the game away from Forest. Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard sealed the win with two brilliant goals after Gabriel Martinelli scored an early opener to begin proceedings. Arsenal paid tribute to loanee defender Pablo Mari, who is spending the season with AC Monza in Italy after he was the victim of a stabbing attack in Milan along with five others last week.

So, with some tough tests on the horizon for Mikel Arteta’s side before the Premier League pauses for a month, football.london compares the north Londoners’ next five games with their rivals Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City.

FC Zurich (H) – November 3

Mikel Arteta can afford to rotate his team ahead of a huge London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the final Europa League group stage clash against FC Zurich. Arsenal are in pole position to qualify as group winners after securing their spot in the knockout rounds after four matches.

The Gunners beat Zurich 2-1 in their first group match with goals from Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah, with both players expected to play a role in the clash on Thursday night. Arteta will be hoping his team can end the group stages on top with a good performance that will give them confidence ahead of the game against Chelsea.

Chelsea (A) – November 6

The Blues have been revitalised since Graham Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge, but they come into the London derby against Arsenal off the back of a 4-1 defeat against Potter’s former side Brighton. The Gunners picked up a sensational 4-2 win in the same fixture last term and will look to repeat that result at the weekend as they try and stay ahead of Manchester City.

Brighton (H) – November 9

Arsenal have been handed a tricky Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brighton, who have picked up good results against Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea so far this season. Leandro Trossard is in stunning form for the Seagulls, and he is by far the main threat for the Gunners, who will be looking to go far in the domestic cup competition after reaching the semi-finals last season.

Arsenal failed to beat Brighton in both Premier League fixtures last term, with the Seagulls beating the Gunners 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Wolves (A) – November 12

Arsenal and Wolves have had somewhat of a rivalry in the last year, with two of the last three meetings seeing Arteta’s side receive a red card. The Gunners did the double over the Midlands outfit last season, winning 1-0 at Molineux despite Martinelli’s sending-off and coming from behind to win 2-1 late on at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal will hope to head into the World Cup break with a win in what is expected to be a fiery affair against Wolves.

Tottenham’s next four fixtures:

Marseille (A) – November 1

Liverpool (H) – November 6

Nottingham Forest (A) – November 9

Leeds (H) – November 12

Chelsea’s next four fixtures:

Dinamo Zagreb (H) – November 2

Arsenal (H) – November 6

Man City (A) – November 9

Newcastle (A) – November 12

Manchester City’s next four fixtures:

Sevilla (H) – November 2

Fulham (H) – November 5

Chelsea (H) – November 9

Brentford (H) – November 12