There has been a lot of news surrounding Gunners’ stars, with Myles Lewis-Skelly grabbing the headlines with a debut goal for England. Meanwhile, the club also confirmed the appointment of Andrea Berta as their new sporting director.
In the most recent game, Arsenal contained Chelsea effectively, while a first-half strike from Mikel Merino proved enough to secure all three points. In terms of their season, Mikel Arteta has probably conceded the team’s chances of winning the Premier League, although they could potentially reduce the gap over Liverpool to nine points albeit temporarily.
The prime focus will be on their UEFA Champions League campaign and the upcoming game against Real Madrid at the Emirates. Before that, Arteta will want to set the mood at its highest at Arsenal, meaning he will demand big results against Fulham on Tuesday and then Brentford at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Fulham boss Marco Silva will rue his team’s performance against Crystal Palace as they could not beat the Eagles at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup. Oliver Glasner’s side put in a dominant performance in the cup quarter-finals, with goals from Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr, and substitute Eddie Nketiah proving enough to down the Cottagers.
Before the international break, Fulham managed to beat Tottenham, although their overall form has been inconsistent at best given they had lost to Brighton & Hove Albion in the game before that. Silva will want to continue his impressive run over the Gunners, against whom, Fulham are unbeaten in their last three games.
The Cottagers also managed to hold off in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage, as Silva will be confident of getting a result at the Emirates. While Arsenal sit comfortably in second spot, Fulham still have some work to do as they have ambitions to finish in a big European place as only four points separate them from fourth-placed Chelsea, so a Champions League finish is still very much possible.
Mikel Arteta has insisted Bukayo Saka is ‘ready to go’ amid concerns that the winger might need some level of integration to get back into his rhythm. Saka only recently resumed training after three months out with a major hamstring problem, although the Arsenal manager’s words could potentially see the attacker start against Fulham.
Riccardo Calafiori suffered a knee problem which at first glance looked far worse, although the prognosis revealed he might miss around 2-3 weeks of action, which does place him as a big doubt for the Real Madrid clash.
Jurrien Timber missed the international games with an illness, but the Dutch defender has since been training with Arsenal and is likely to feature against the Cottagers. Lewis-Skelly is expected to start as the left-back as he is probably Arteta’s first choice for the position, while William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will continue in the central roles.
There might be no changes to the other positions on the pitch barring maybe the inclusion of Saka. Should the winger not start, Ethan Nwaneri might be preferred to him, with Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino the other front three stars in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Martinelli
Fulham
Marco Silva does not have too many problems with Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson among those missing, although he could not have played this game due to ineligibility. Harry Wilson and Kenny Tete are the other stars missing through injuries for the Cottagers.
The manager might continue with most players that started against Crystal Palace at the weekend, although there might be a few changes like Emile Smith Rowe’s inclusion in place of Andreas Pereira, with the former making a dramatic return to his old stomping grounds.
Raul Jimenez could be preferred to Rodrigo Muniz to lead the line for Fulham against Arsenal, while Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge will maintain their midfield partnership.
Calvin Bassey and Joachim Andersen are the ideal choices for the central defensive pairing, while Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson continue in their full-back roles. Silva will continue to use flying winger Adama Traore as a substitute, as veteran Willian is among at least four former Arsenal players to start at the Emirates.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Iwobi, Smith-Rowe, Willian; Jimenez
Bukayo Saka
Irrespective of whether Saka starts the game against Fulham, the mere idea of having him back in full training and in contention for the game is big news for Arsenal. As Mikel Arteta’s comments indicated he is probably ready to start the winger, although there is a big chance for him to come off the bench at some point.
Either way, Saka will be in the spotlight irrespective of how many minutes he plays, the fans inside the Emirates will want a glimpse of their star player. With the Real Madrid game just around the corner, Arteta will want Saka fit and firing for that one, although he will look to manage his minutes between now and that clash at the Emirates.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
Fulham have shown they can compete with the big boys and most certainly against Arsenal, having gone unbeaten in their last three meetings with the North Londoners. Marco Silva’s side will be down on confidence following their FA Cup exit, and the time might be right for Arsenal to take on the Cottagers.
The well-rested Gunners have had a few days of extra rest, while not many of their players exerted themselves for their respective nations during the international break. Moreover, with the return of Saka, the confidence in the Arsenal camp will be at its highest compared to the last few months which could then reflect on the pitch, as Mikel Arteta’s side could manage a narrow victory over Fulham on Tuesday.
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