Match Overview:
Kick off time: 5 PM EAT
Venue: Craven Cottage ( Home to Fulham )
Arsenal travels to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in a crucial Premier League London derby. The match is significant as Arsenal aims to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool, while Fulham looks to maintain their push for European qualification from their current sixth position in the table.
Team News:
- Fulham: Will be without Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson, who is ineligible to play against his parent club and also nursing a hamstring injury. Tom Cairney is suspended, but Sasa Lukic returns from a ban. Fulham has been bolstered by the performances of former Arsenal players like Alex Iwobi and Bernd Leno.
- Arsenal: The Gunners will assess the fitness of defenders Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori, both of whom missed the recent win against Manchester United. Long-term absentees include Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Arsenal's squad will need to be at their best to navigate through Fulham's home form.
Form and Tactics:
- Fulham: Coming off an impressive 3-1 victory over Brighton, Fulham has shown they can be a formidable side on their day. They play with a 4-2-3-1 formation, focusing on possession and quick transitions. Their recent performances indicate they're not to be underestimated at home, where they've managed to score in 13 successive matches.
- Arsenal: After a 2-0 win against Manchester United, Arsenal are in fine form, having won all four games since the international break. Their strategy will likely involve maintaining possession, leveraging their set-piece capabilities (having scored 22 goals from corners since last season), and dealing with Fulham's counter-attacks.
Prediction:
Given Arsenal's current momentum and their historical performance against Fulham, they are favoured to win. However, Fulham's home advantage and their recent performances suggest they could make this a challenging game. Predictions range from a 2-0 Arsenal victory to acknowledging the potential for a tighter contest.
See below a video preview of the match:
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