Fulham and Arsenal are set to face off in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Craven Cottage.
The Cottagers head into the fixture on the back of a 3-1 victory over Brighton, having previously secured a 1-1 draw against Tottenham.
Meanwhile, the Gunners will look to make it five wins in a row in competitions, having beaten Manchester United 2-0 in midweek.
Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking ahead of the Arsenal game, shared what he fears could potentially give the Gunners the edge on Sunday.
Fulham Manager Marco Silva vents his frustrations to the fourth official during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Arsenal FC at Craven...
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Arsenal ‘even more aware’ of Fulham threat after failing to beat them last season
Silva, speaking to the club’s media team, spoke of how Fulham did well against Mikel Arteta’s side last season.
The Cottagers held Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium before running out 2-1 winners over the Gunners in West London.
Silva says Arsenal “respect everybody” in the Premier League and don’t enable any complacency to set in.
And he fears that the Gunners are now “even more aware” of not taking Fulham for granted because they failed to beat them last season.
“No-one surprises anyone in the Premier League no more,” Silva said.
“You know how Mikel and the Arsenal team respect everybody in this competition, they know that it’s really tough to play and win games at this level.
“And probably they are going to be even more aware because the reality is we played two great games against them last season – at the Emirates with the draw, and of course with the three points at Craven Cottage.
“But I really believe that it’s going to be even more difficult. Firstly, because with the game last night, it’s going to be [a] really short [turnaround], and because they are in a great moment, definitely.
“And they are going to be more aware, probably, about our strengths, and it’s going to be tougher for us. But we like this type of challenge.”
Fulham v Arsenal team news
Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson is ineligible to play against his parent club as per the terms of his deal.
Fulham captain Tom Cairney is suspended for the game, while Harrison Reed and Joachim Andersen are expected to miss out.
Meanwhile, Arsenal could potentially have Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori available after both defenders missed the Man United game.
Fellow defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are long-term absentees and will not be involved.
Martin Odegaard, who Arteta recently said has “everything” that the club wants as a player and captain, is expected to lead Arsenal out for the 100th time in his career.
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