Boston Gooners

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DOORS AT 10.00a

In Our Hands

Fresh off a Champions League semi-final victory, Arsenal head to West Ham to continue their push for the Premier League trophy. After a free flowing display against Fulham, the good vibes are back. Will they be enough to carry us over the line?

West Ham sit in 18th, one point from safety. They have two wins in their last five, but their most recent result was a very lacklustre display away to Brentford where they lost 3-0. Despite a slight improvement under Nuno Santo, their survival may be at real risk. With Arsenal coming to town, it’s now or never, and they’ll pull inspiration from nicking a draw off City earlier in the campaign. Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville will carry the threat, while breakout midfielder Mateus Fernandes knows a big display will cement a summer move to a top club.

It’s up to Arsenal to make this tie a foregone conclusion. A season of highs and lows is almost done and the prize is within site. Mikel Arteta will want his side to play with bravery and urgency. Expect a relatively unchanged side from midweek. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard will be key to maintaining control over the game. Former Hammer Declan Rice can have no room for sympathy.

Will Arsenal do the business? Or can West Ham create another twist in the title race? Join us on Sunday at Dillon’s for the drama. Nothing left to say. Just win.

➡️PLEASE RSVP: bostongooners.com/matches

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One Step from Budapest

Arsenal host Atlético de Madrid on Tuesday night with a trip to the Champions League final on the line. With the tie even, it’s all to play for.

Diego Simeone took no chances at the weekend, resting his entre first team for the weekend against Valencia. A fresh Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, and Ademola Lookman will bring plenty of threat in transition. At the back, they are still somewhat suspect. Interestingly, it was a tactical change at halftime that shored them up in the first left. Without their home crowd, though, it will take something special to go on and beat Arsenal. And without his home crowd, Diego Simeone likely won’t cast such a large shadow on the touchline.

The Gunners are on the brink. They got the job done in Spain, and they should have taken a lead back to London but for a disappointing VAR intervention. Coming off a hugely impressive showing against Fulham, the good vibes appear to be back at The Emirates, and they couldn’t have come at a better time. Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze will be key to progress, while at the back, William Saliba will be key in keeping the visitors out. Mikel Arteta has his side one step away from the club’s second ever final in the UCL. It’s down to the players to execute and keep their nerve.

Can Arsenal take care of business and keep the double alive? Or will Atlético stun the home side? Join us on Tuesday at Dillon’s. We can make history. Let’s get behind the team!

PLEASE RSVP: bostongooners.com/matches

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Doors open at 9a. This is the second match of a doubleheader with UWCL: OL Lyonnes v Arsenal. Please RSVP separately for each match you plan to attend. BG tees and scarves available ($25, cash preferred).

League leaders Arsenal host tenth place Fulham in a tricky encounter between Champions League ties. With just four Premier League games remaining, Arsenal have the chance to increase their lead at the top of the table before City kick off against Everton on Monday.

Fulham are fresh off a victory over Aston Villa but enter the match in lacklustre form. Marco Silva’s men have only found the back of the net in two of their last seven games in all competitions, netting a mere four goals in that time. With Europe at least a faint hope, Fulham are not quite on the beach and will fancy their chances against a potentially distracted Arsenal. Former Gunner Alex Iwobi will miss the match through injury, but Hale Ender Emile Smith-Rowe will be hoping to start. Elsewhere, Samuel Chukwueze will provide threat from wide areas.

Mikel Arteta will be fully focused on this match, and he’ll be hoping his side have the energy to survive a rested Fulham. Arsenal haven’t lost at home to Fulham in the past 32 tries. While Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber remain doubts, Bukayo Saka will likely receive additional minutes after a midweek cameo. Ricardo Calafiori, if fit, may come in at left back. All eyes will be on midfield, though. The minute overload or Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi has been well-documented, and with a UCL semi-final in a few days, it could be an opportunity for Myles Lewis-Skelly to provide some legs in the engine room.

Can Arsenal avoid a slip-up? Or will Fulham break Gooner hearts everywhere? Join us at Dillon’s on Saturday. It’s been a wild ride, and we’re almost to the end!

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Doors open at 9a. This is the first match of a doubleheader with PL: Arsenal v Fulham. Please RSVP separately for each match you plan to attend. BG tees and scarves available ($25, cash preferred). Kindly share with anyone who might be interested.

Almost there...

Arsenal carry a 2–1 advantage into the second leg after a composed turnaround against OL Lyonnes at the Emirates Stadium. Having fallen behind early, the Gunners grew steadily into the contest, seizing control through midfield and looking the sharper side for much of the second half. That resilience has been a hallmark of a strong run since the turn of the year, with consistency in both WSL and European play underpinning belief. With a place in another UEFA Women’s Champions League final within reach, this match stands as the final hurdle in Arsenal’s pursuit of back-to-back continental crowns.

Lyon, for their part, arrive with another formidable domestic campaign behind them, reinforcing their status as one of the defining forces in European women’s football. Serial winners of this competition, they bring both pedigree and edge to a tie that reprises last season’s semi-final meeting. Expect a response on home soil, with their attacking depth and experience posing a sustained threat. Team news suggests a near full-strength XI, though rotation and late fitness checks could influence selection in key areas.

Make a day of it: arrive early, soak in the atmosphere, and back the Arsenal from the first whistle. Stay on for the doubleheader as attention turns to the men’s clash with Fulham to round out a proper Saturday of The Arsenal.

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We’re on to Spain

After a nervy 1-0 home victory against Newcastle, Arsenal begin their semifinal tie with Atlético de Madrid. Mikel Arteta has led his team to back to back semi-finals for the first time ever in this competition, and after failing to reach the final a year ago, will be desperate to do one better.

When the two sides met earlier in the campaign, Arsenal sprung to life in the second half, eventually winning 4-0. That sort of scoring feels like a distant memory for Gooners. Diego Simeone will have his side and the crowd well up for this one. The sides have met in a semi-final previously, albeit the Europa League in 2018; however, Simeone was the manager on that day, and he will be confident of progression. Ademola Lookman, a January signing, may miss out with a fitness issue, but striker Alexander Sørloth will return to the lineup. He’ll join Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann in attack. Griezmann, coincidentally, scored the goal that eliminated Arsenal in 2018. This Atlético are not true to type. Their defense has been leakier than usual while their attack has proved potent.

For Arsenal, it’s all about the next game. As favorites, they’ll carry the burden of pressure and expectation But Atlético will be no easy task. Kai Havertz, after a good display against City, has already landed back on the treatment table. But Bukayo Saka appears to be back, and his form may be critical to the club’s progression to the final. It’s a time for leaders, and with nearly everyone’s tank on empty, can Saka’s reinsertion to the lineup rejuvenate the side?

Join us at Dillon’s on Wednesday afternoon. 6-7 games remain. Let’s do our part to make it 7.

➡️PLEASE RSVP: bostongooners.com/matches

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Doors open at 11a.

Onwards.

Arsenal host Newcastle on Saturday after having the week off. They enter the match in unfamiliar territory: second place. With everything to play for in the final five games of the season, Mikel Arteta will be desperate to snap his team out of this funk.

Newcastle come to The Emirate sitting in fourteenth and having lost three matches in a row. Rumors are swirling around Eddie Howe’s future. It’s expected that Tino Livramento, Anthony Gordon, and Joelinton will all miss out. With nothing left to play for, what will Newcastle conjure? Harvey Barnes and William Osula may carry the attack for the visitors, while Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes will anchor the midfield.

Despite the loss at Manchester City, The Gunners can find encouragement from their performance. They will hope to carry this form into the run-in. People are getting healthier, with more to come potentially at the weekend with Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka looking like they’ll return. Kai Havertz is likely to lead the line, and Arsenal will need him to be uncharacteristically ruthless for them to reach the finish line in the lead.

Can Arsenal win and win convincingly? Or will Newcastle take advantage of a nervous Emirates to inflict more pain on the hosts? Join us at Dillon’s for a few pints, and we’ll support The Arsenal until the end.

➡️PLEASE RSVP: bostongooners.com/matches

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Doors open at 10a. Early arrival advised. Opposition supporters categorically not welcome. To accommodate the expected crowd, D16 (the basement cocktail bar at Dillon’s) will be open to BG, but with a limited menu and staff. BG tees & scarves available ($25, cash strongly preferred).

This is the big one.

Arsenal head to the Etihad with the title race hanging in the balance, their six-point cushion feeling far slimmer with Manchester City holding a game in hand and momentum tightening around them. The response has been mixed but telling: a bruising Carabao Cup final defeat to City and lacklustre display against Bournemouth still linger, yet midweek progression past Sporting– gritty, controlled, and ultimately sufficient– offered a reminder of this side’s resilience. The attacking fluency wasn’t there, but the defensive steel and game management were, and that may matter more in a fixture of this magnitude. Arteta’s side know they must raise their level, but they also know a statement win here would tilt the run-in decisively in their favour.

City, however, are exactly where they want to be: ominous, experienced, and surging at the business end. A commanding win over Chelsea and a long-standing dominance in April underline a side built for this stretch, with Guardiola openly framing this as a “final” for their own hopes. Their ability to accelerate when it matters most and recent upper hand in key meetings, including that cup final, adds weight to the challenge. Yet this is also a different Arsenal: more mature, battle-tested, and carrying both the scar tissue and belief required to go toe-to-toe when it matters most, especially in decisive moments.

Get down early, pack the pub, and make it loud. These are the days that define seasons. Ignore the constant outside noise, back the badge, and lean into it, together.

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On to the next one.

After suffering defeat at the weekend, Arsenal set their sights on Europe for a second leg tie with Sporting CP. After a late Kai Havertz winner in Portugal, Arsenal will be expected to progress; however, players will need to not overlook a potent Portuguese side who will take encouragement from Arsenal’s recent domestic form.

For Sporting, the Portuguese top-flight title is out of the visitors’ hands, and they also may have one eye on their own heavyweight battle with Benfica on Sunday, but not before a shot at club history. Sporting have never won a two-legged European contest after losing the first leg by a one-goal margin at home, and they have lost 13 of their last 14 such ties following a first-leg home loss by any scoreline.

The Gunners seek a second straight CL semi-final for the first time in their history. Based on recent form, it’s very difficult to predict what we’ll see on Wednesday. With a seemingly existential showdown with City looming, it’s down to the players to raise their levels and focus on the task at hand. In what has become a recurring theme under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal approach the end of the season with more fitness doubts than their rivals. Hopefully, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber will contribute some minutes, as their absence has been cruelly felt in recent weeks.

Can Arsenal finish the job at home? Or will Sporting take advantage of a mentally fragile Arsenal and create their own history? Join us at Dillon’s on Wednesday afternoon where it will all unfold.

➡️PLEASE RSVP: bostongooners.com/matches

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Doors at 7.30am

Rise and Shine

Arsenal return to The Emirates to host Bournemouth in the early kick off. All eyes will be on North London as the league enters the final stretch. Rival fans and media want nothing more than to see The Gunners slip up.

The role of spoiler this week falls to Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth. Currently in thirteenth position, The Cherries have not suffered defeat in eleven consecutive league matches. Head to head, they have won two of the last three against Arsenal, including a 2-1 in this fixture a year ago. Bournemouth carry plenty of threat in attack, and they will be keen to turn the match into a basketball game. Between Evanilson, Eli Kruppi, Marcus Tavernier, and another breakout forward, Rayan, Iraola’s side have the tools to damage a stout Arsenal defense.

Mikel Arteta’s side rebounded mid-week against Sporting, securing a 1-0 victory after two preceding domestic cup losses. Tuesday night was a return to form for Arsenal, snapping a long win streak for the host’s through rugged defending and a late goal from Kai Havertz. The win will build confidence; the match with Bournemouth will provide a different threat altogether. The Gunners will have to carry their defensive nous back home. Crucially, they’ll have to take the chances as they come. Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber potentially returning should help. Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard will need to be at their incisive best. To get over the line, everyone will need to lock in.

Will Arsenal add to their lead at the top of the table? Or will Bournemouth match last season’s result and dent our title aspirations? Join us bright and early at Dillon’s on Saturday. This is when the team needs us most.

➡️PLEASE RSVP:bostongooners.com/matches

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No Rest.

After a humiliating cup exit at Southampton in the FA Cup, Arsenal return to action in the Champions League. They will Face Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals. With consecutive domestic cup exits at a critical juncture of the season, Mikel Arteta will be desperate to right the ship on the European stage.

Rui Borges’s Sporting Lisbon have won all five of their CL matches at home so far this season, conceding just three goals. Most recently, they overcame a 3-0 deficit against Bodoe/Glimt in the competition to advace 5-3 on aggregate. Captain Morten Hjulmand will be suspended for the first leg, while experienced wingback Nuno Santos will miss through injury. In Francisco Trincão, Pedro Gonçalves, and Luis Suárez, Sporting have more than enough threat to damage an Arsenal defense that has appeared wobbly in recent weeks.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were without many key players against Southampton, and whether these players will be available for Sporting remains to be seen. Gooners will welcome David Raya back between the sticks. Viktor Gyökeres will be relishing a return to his former club and will be desperate to start. Given his goal against Southampton and his recent exploits for Sweden, his form should warrant inclusion. Arsenal’s dreams rest in their fitness, and the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice will hopefully be suiting up on Tuesday.

Can Arsenal get a much needed win on the board? Or will Sporting pull off a surprise and send Arsenal into full blown meltdown? Join us at Dillon’s on Tuesday afternoon. Let’s do what we do best!

➡️PLEASE RSVP: bostongooners.com/matches

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