Leno to lock horns with his former teammates again
Fulham host the Gunners at Craven Cottage a couple of days after Arteta’s men faced a grueling battle in Lisbon against Sporting CP. Following Manchester City’s narrow win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the gap at the top of the table to two points, and Arsenal have it all to against Fulham to restore the lead to five points.
We eagerly anticipated Mikel Arteta’s Fulham pre-match press conference and we didn’t really get good news regarding Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney that have been recovering from illness,
“I hope they do [train],” he said. “Martin was feeling better and then he became a little bit worse, but hopefully he is able to train today.”
The gaffer also pleaded for caution regarding the situation concerning Gabriel Jesus,
“He had a bad injury and he’s been really pushing the boundaries and trying to get that recovery as quick and smooth as possible,” the boss added.
“The reality is when he’s started to do some activities, he’s still feeling that he needs a little bit of time. Is it a matter of days? Hopefully yes, more than a matter of weeks. The moment he is ready, he will be thrown onto the field.
“The timescale that he had has been respected and it’s now more about his feelings, and when he actually demands he wants to be part of it.”
With Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard still out, Gabriel Martinelli will be tasked with spearheading the attack and will need the support of his teammates to supply him with the ammunition he needs to damage Fulham’s defense. For the hosts, Fulham, they will be without star holding midfielder, Joao Palhinha, that’s serving a two-match ban. Arsenal loanee, Cedric Soares, will not be eligible while while Tom Cairney, Layvin Kurzawa and Neeskens Kebano remain out.
Arsenal has a very good record against Fulham with the hosts winless in nine Premier League meetings since 2012 (D2, L7) as well as losing their last four home games against Arsenal. One player the Gunners need to be mindful about is the Israeli winger, Manor Solomon. Solomon could become the first Fulham player to score in five consecutive Premier League matches. He has scored a goal in each of his last five Fulham appearances in all competitions. Aleksandr Mitrovic on the other hand, is going through a barren spell of eight games without a goal and hasn’t scored at Craven Cottage since October 2022.
Arsenal have the best away record in the Premier League, winning 10 of their 13 matches, as well as scoring 25 goals, which is a Premier League high. Mikel Arteta’s side seems to do better in terms of shutouts on the road this season, keeping eight of their 11 clean sheets on the road this season.
Fulham vs Arsenal Predicted Lineups
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reid, Lukic; Willian, Andreas, Solomon; Mitrovic
Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey, Odegaard; Martinelli, Nelson, Saka.
Injury / Suspension Updates
Fulham: Layvin Kurzawa (knee), Cedric Soares (ineligible), Joao Palhinha (suspension), Neeskens Kebano (Achilles), Tom Cairney (ankle)
Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (knee), Gabriel Jesus (lacking match fitness), Eddie Nketiah (ankle), Leandro Trossard (groin), Kieran Tierney (illness), Martin Odegaard (illness)
Form Guide
Fulham Form
- Last Five Games: W W D W L
- Last Result: Brentford 3-2 Fulham (Pinnock 6′, Toney 53′, Jensen 85′ | Solomon 39′, Vinicius 99′)
- Leading Goalscorer: Aleksandr Mitrovic (11)
Arsenal Form
- Last Five Games: W W W W D
- Last Result: Sporting CP 2-2 Arsenal (Inacio 34?, Paulinho 55? | Saliba 22?, Morita OG 62?)
- Leading Goalscorer: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli (11)
Gooner Daily predicts a 1 – 2 victory.
Kick Off – 3.00pm (GMT +1) at Craven Cottage.
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