Arsenal vs Fulham - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to temporarily re-establish a six-point pb astatine the apical of the Premier League table, Arsenal invited Fulham to the Emirates for Saturday evening's London derby.

Mikel Arteta's men instrumentality location aft a creditable 1-1 gully with Atletico Madrid successful the archetypal limb of their Champions League semi-final, portion their visitors scraped a 1-0 occurrence implicit Mikel Arteta's predecessor past weekend, edging retired Aston Villa connected location soil.

Match preview

Paris Saint-Germain mightiness person been capable to postpone their league crippled successful betwixt their 2 UCL quarter-final clashes with Liverpool, arsenic Ligue 1 sought to springiness the holders the champion imaginable accidental of progression, but Premier League teams are not afforded specified a luxury.

Therefore, Arsenal indispensable pit their wits against Fulham less than 72 hours connected from a fiery stalemate with Atletico Madrid, who gave distant a punishment for Viktor Gyokeres to convert, won 1 of their ain for Julian Alvarez to hammer home, and escaped conceding different for a David Hancko 'foul' connected Eberechi Eze.

A "fuming" Arteta did not clasp his lingua erstwhile discussing the second incident, but Arsenal are nevertheless successful a favourable presumption up of adjacent week's 2nd leg, having equalled an all-time nine grounds successful the Spanish capital.

Back to home matters, Arsenal stopped the Premier League rot with a classical unconvincing 1-0 triumph vs. Newcastle United past weekend, snapping a tally of 4 consecutive losses crossed league, FA Cup and EFL Cup enactment and moving 3 points wide of Manchester City successful the process.

Arteta's men tin present unfastened up a six-point spread astatine the acme of the Premier League table, arsenic the Sky Blues bash not play again until Monday nighttime against Everton, and their astounding grounds of conscionable 11 goals conceded astatine the Emirates successful the 2025-26 apical formation makes for worrying speechmaking for their goal-shy visitors.

A fewer hours earlier Arsenal's nervy one-goal triumph past weekend, Fulham snapped their scoreless series courtesy of an identical triumph astatine location to Aston Villa, by virtuousness of Ryan Sessegnon's first-half strike.

Marco Silva's men had failed to occurrence successful a 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Liverpool and goalless gully with Brentford anterior to the sojourn of the Villans, but the Cottagers are present astatine slightest somewhat backmost among the goals amid a peculiarly trying attacking period.

Indeed, Fulham person lone recovered the backmost of the nett successful 2 of their past 7 games successful each competitions - netting a specified 4 goals successful that clip - to gaffe down to 10th successful the standings, albeit conscionable 2 points beneath sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.

European sojourns are truthful inactive not retired of the question for the distant side, but whether they would vie connected the continent nether Silva is simply a antithetic matter, arsenic the Portuguese is thought to beryllium one of the apical contenders for the vacant Chelsea job.

For now, Silva is simply striving to extremity Fulham's three-game winless and scoreless tally connected the road, portion besides bidding for a Cottagers nine first; the visitors person ne'er won a Premier League distant lucifer against the squad starting that time astatine the apical of the table.

The unpleasant statistic support connected coming for Fulham fans, arsenic Arsenal person not mislaid immoderate of their erstwhile 32 league location games against the Cottagers - the astir 1 squad person ever gone without decision to a azygous hostile successful English shot history.

Arsenal Premier League form:

Arsenal signifier (all competitions):

Fulham Premier League form:

Fulham signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Arsenal's Newcastle triumph did not travel without sacrifice, arsenic Eze and Kai Havertz some sustained muscular injuries; the erstwhile shook disconnected his occupation rapidly to beryllium progressive connected Wednesday, but Havertz was missing and is simply a large uncertainty for the weekend.

Arteta besides suggested successful his pre-Atletico property league that Jurrien Timber (groin) was inactive immoderate mode distant from being afloat acceptable again, portion Mikel Merino (foot) is inactive battling to instrumentality earlier the play finishes.

In brighter news, Riccardo Calafiori was an unused substitute connected Wednesday aft recovering from a knock, and the Italian could beryllium promoted to the XI alongside the returning Bukayo Saka and Eze, some restricted to cameo roles astatine the Metropolitano.

On Fulham's side, Sessegnon's match-winning procession came to a premature extremity erstwhile helium was forced disconnected injured successful the 2nd half, but Silva is keeping his fingers crossed that the erstwhile Tottenham Hotspur antheral escaped superior injury.

However, Hale End merchandise Alex Iwobi volition not beryllium reuniting with his boyhood nine owed to a thigh problem, portion Kenny Tete and Kevin are some moving their mode backmost from ankle issues too.

Antonee Robinson is connected standby successful lawsuit Sessegnon is ruled out, portion Bernd Leno and Emile Smith Rowe should commencement astatine their erstwhile home.

Arsenal imaginable starting lineup:

Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze

Fulham imaginable starting lineup:

Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze; Jimenez

We say: Arsenal 1-0 Fulham

Arsenal distant has historically been a fruitless time for Fulham, and fixed the Cottagers' shortcomings successful beforehand of goal, that streak volition astir surely continue.

As was the lawsuit against Newcastle, Arteta's jaded men whitethorn lone request 1 infinitesimal of magic - oregon 1 set-piece - to get the occupation done, and lukewarm up for their Atletico reunion successful perfect fashion.

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