The State of Play
In the past month, Fulham has emerged as one of the most captivating teams in the Premier League, securing consecutive 5-0 victories at the beginning of December. Despite maintaining a progressive and attacking approach in subsequent games, their results have been less impressive, suffering three consecutive league defeats without finding the net.
Their recent 3-0 loss to Bournemouth on Boxing Day added to the setbacks, following a 2-0 defeat against Burnley just before Christmas and a 3-0 defeat by Newcastle at St James’ Park. It seems their current focus is primarily on the EFL Cup, where they have advanced to the semi-finals.
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With Manchester City having faced a challenging period in the last couple of months, securing just two wins in their last seven Premier League matches at the time of writing, Arsenal had a chance to establish a lead at the top of the table, but they now find themselves glancing over their shoulders.
The Gunners’ recent 0-2 defeat at home to West Ham on Thursday evening followed a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield last weekend. With just one win in their last four matches, Mikel Arteta’s team are looking to regain momentum in the upcoming fixture.
Team News
Marco Silva has indicated that his key attacker, Willian, is still uncertain for the upcoming clash against Arsenal this weekend. On a positive note, Mexico international Raul Jimenez is set to make a return after serving a three-match suspension following a red card against Newcastle.
However, the defensive line-up for the home side will continue to miss the services of experienced United States international Tim Ream, while former Barcelona winger Adama Traore is likewise grappling with an injury.
For Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, the noteworthy update is the return of previously in-form Germany international Kai Havertz, who is available for the weekend fixture at Craven Cottage after serving a suspension. Despite this positive development, there are no new injury concerns or updates for The Gunners. Fabio Vieira, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Thomas Partey, and Jurrien Timber remain unavailable due to their respective injuries.
Expected Line-ups
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Cairney; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Iwobi; Jimenez
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
What they Said
Marco Silva on his expectations for the coming months:
“I would like to see a little bit more consistency in the next months. It is important to build squad depth. It is going to happen where we have injuries and the more of the same quality overall that we have I think will be better for us.”
Mikel Arteta on the recent defeat to West Ham:
“We want to be at the top and today we are very, very disappointed. We had so much dominance in the game. We are in a really good position. Today is a disappointing night. We have to pick ourselves up for a big game against Fulham.”
When and How to Watch
Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League, as well as stream the action on Sky Go.
Prediction
Both teams are entering this match with dissatisfaction, having initially set high expectations only to endure frustrating results over the festive period. Despite recent setbacks, Arsenal remain confident as they travel west to face Fulham under Mikel Arteta’s resilient leadership. Considering Fulham’s struggling form, an Arsenal victory seems highly probable.
