It wasn't long ago that many thought the title race was done and dusted. Hand Arne Slot's men the trophy, they said. Well, if Arsenal win today then the Gunners will cut the gap at the top of the table to just four points.
Liverpool's clash with Everton on Saturday was postponed due to adverse weather and thus, it gives Mikel Arteta's side a wonderful opportunity to pile further pressure on their title rivals.
arsenal-premier-league
They will have to do so against an in-form Fulham team, one boasting plentiful ex-Arsenal stars such as goalkeeper Bernd Leno, winger Alex Iwobi and Hale End darling Emile Smith Rowe.
They also visit a ground where they dropped precious points in the title race last season...
Arsenal's last trip to Craven Cottage
This was hardly the most ideal of ways to see out 2023. It was the year's final day in the calendar when the Gunners headed across London to visit Fulham.
Having already drawn with the Cottagers at the Emirates Stadium just a few months before, Arteta will have rightfully been a tad nervous.
Saka-Fulham-Arsenal
Perhaps that was shown in the performance as they ultimately lost 2-1. It all started swimmingly when Bukayo Saka found the net after just five minutes but the hosts came back fighting.
Raul Jimenez scored just before the half-hour mark and from that point onwards Arsenal failed to really get going, ultimately left to rue Bobby Reid's winner in the 59th minute.
So, it would appear that Fulham are somewhat of a bogey team in recent years.
Arsenal team news vs Fulham
For the trip across town, the Gunners will definitely be without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White who are both long-term absentees. White recently underwent surgery on a knee issue and isn't due back in the squad until 2025.
The club are also sweating on the fitness of fellow defenders Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori. Both played against West Ham a week ago but sat out the 2-0 win over Manchester United through injury.
Rice-Gabriel-Saka-Arsenal
The positive news is that both players trained on Friday, although the bad news is that they weren't with the full group.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta admitted that it could be a case of wait and see following Saturday's training session.
"We have another training session tomorrow [Saturday], so we will see how everyone is. Until tomorrow’s training session it’s very difficult to say."
So, what does that mean for the potential starting XI we could see at Craven Cottage on Sunday?
Arsenal's predicted lineup vs Fulham
So, every Arsenal supporter will have their fingers and toes crossed that Gabriel and Calafiori will be fit enough to take their place in the squad.
Providing they are, then it's expected that there will be two changes to the side that defeated Man United in midweek.
Arsenal's injury table
Player
Tomiyasu
Ben White
Calafiori
Gabriel
That means Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior - two admirable performers from that win given a lack of game time - will drop out.
Beyond that, the only other change could see Leandro Trossard come back in for Gabriel Martinelli. It's safe to say that the Belgian sees Craven Cottage as a happy hunting ground considering he actually registered three assists in the 3-0 win back in March 2023.
Martinelli has been hit and miss this term but Trossard does appear to be finding some form having scored against both Lisbon and West Ham in recent weeks.
Arsenal predicted lineup in full: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Havertz.
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