The year that the Clash released London Calling, 1979, there were just three capital clubs in England's top flight - the lowest tally since the Second World War.
Four and a half decades later, the highest tier of the English footballing pyramid is as London-centric as it has ever been in the Premier League era. The 2023/24 campaign will be the third consecutive season with as many as seven capital clubs.
For the avoidance of doubt, newly promoted Luton Town do not make the capital cut as the much-discussed Kenilworth Road stadium is located firmly in Bedfordshire.
However, even discounting Luton, there will be plenty of London derbies to tune into next season - 42 to be precise. Here is everything you need to know about what lies in wait for the capital's best representatives.
All dates for Premier League London derbies in 2023/24
*times are subject to change
The proliferation of London clubs is such that every month of the 2023/24 season plays host to at least one capital derby. As is often the case in a bid to reduce travel distance over the festive period, the most densely populated month of the year for all-London affairs is December.
For the second season in a row, Arsenal host West Ham on Boxing Day while Chelsea are scheduled to go up against Crystal Palace on the same day for the first time since 1989.
Six of the division's seven London clubs are pencilled in to face each other on the very busy weekend of 19 August 2023. While the exact timing of that particular log jam may change to avoid utter chaos, it is probably wise to avoid the tube that afternoon if at all possible.
It's often said that there are no easy games in the Premier League anymore. That is very much the case when the pool of opponents is narrowed down to London clubs. Half of last season's Premier League top 12 came from London. West Ham were the only anomaly yet still ended the campaign with a European trophy.
ALL THE KEY DATES FROM THE 2023/24 PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURE RELEASE
2022/23 Premier League table from London derbies
Arsenal may not have finished the Premier League season top of the table - despite spending an unrivalled 248 days in first place - but the Gunners did comfortably lead the standings made up entirely of London derbies.
Mikel Arteta's nearly men earned a record-breaking ten derby victories - more than any other club in the history of England's top flight. Arsenal collected 32 of a possible 36 points, finishing the season unbeaten against London clubs.
Brentford and West Ham were the only two teams to wrestle points off the Gunners in London derbies this year. While the Bees needed a hotly controversial VAR decision to sneak a draw at the Emirates, West Ham trailed Arsenal by two goals after ten minutes in their April clash at the fittingly named London Stadium. However, the Hammers launched an unlikely fightback to secure a 2-2 draw, bloodying Arsenal's nose during a decisively shaky period which ultimately ceded the Premier League title to Manchester City.
Crystal Palace propped up this particular table, conceding a league-high 25 derby goals while only collecting two victories - both of which were against West Ham.
Despite spending more money on transfers than any other club in the history of football, Chelsea were the lowest-ranked team in west London. The Blues finished below both Brentford and Fulham while failing to record a win against either in direct meetings. Instead, Chelsea scrounged together their respectable tally of derby points from matches against West Ham and Crystal Palace - the Eagles have lost their last 11 Premier League matches against Chelsea.
Tottenham kept five clean sheets from their first six London derbies of the new year - shutting out all off Crystal Palace (twice), Fulham, West Ham and Chelsea. In fact, Arsenal and Brentford accounted for ten of the 14 derby goals which Spurs conceded last season.
This article was originally published on 90min as All dates for Premier League London derbies in 2023/24.
