Fulham-Arsenal is a match valid for the twenty-seventh day of the Premier League and is played on Sunday at 15:00: TV, formations, predictions.
The exciting title fight between Arsenal and Manchester City will also have one of its crucial junctions at Craven Cottage, home of newly promoted Fulham.
The Gunners, who lead the Premier League table five points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side, face yet another London derby of the season some 24 hours after the Citizens’ clash with Crystal Palace: they will already know whether the reigning champions will have done their homework in the other suburb of the English capital. In any case, no distractions are allowed: City are always there breathing down their necks, ready to take advantage of a misstep by Mikel Arteta’s men. And last Saturday they had come close: what a scare they were against little Bournemouth, who took a two-goal lead at the Emirates Stadium before being reeled in and punished in the last minute of added time (3-2) by a goal from Nelson. Three golden points for an Arsenal side that won their fourth consecutive league victory against the Cherries. A success that allowed them to calmly face the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 against Sporting.
Arsenal is almost a taboo for the Cottagers
In Portugal last Thursday, it ended 2-2 with Ruben Amorim’s green-and-whites, a result that postpones everything until the return leg, scheduled to take place in London next week.
Solomon’s exultation
Arteta has fielded many starters on Portuguese soil and it is likely that some of them will be asked to work overtime in the match against Fulham. Gabriel Jesus, who will be unavailable for a while yet – as will midfielder Elneny, who underwent knee surgery – is still unavailable and neither are the other strikers Nketiah and Trossard at their best. Absences that make more complicated an engagement that, at least on paper, could be more balanced than expected. Marco Silva’s Cottagers are one of the great revelations of this Premier League and will try to defend the seventh place that at the end of the season could be worth the qualification to the Conference League. In the last round they surrendered 2-1 in the other derby with Brentford, interrupting a positive series that lasted seven games. Fulham have never beaten Arsenal in their last nine matches and may not manage it this time either, given the absence of a key player like Palhinha.
The Prediction
Arsenal are the team with the most away points (31) and they should also have the better of the away game against Fulham, a match not to be missed in terms of the title. The Cottagers could make life difficult for the Gunners, however, and they are likely to score at least one goal in what is likely to be an eventful match.
Fulham-Arsenal matchday squad
- FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; Willian, Pereira, Solomon; Mitrovic.
- ARSENAL (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Martinelli, Nelson.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
