The game are stacking up for Arsenal, but Jamie Carragher believes there is one particular clash which looks perilous for Mikel Arteta's side
Jamie Carragher pointing to Arsenal's fixtures in the Sky Sports studio
Jamie Carragher has discussed Arsenal's fixtures in the Premier League title race run-in(Image: Sky Sports)
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Jamie Carragher has cautioned Arsenal against letting their Champions League semi-final distract from the threat Fulham will pose. On Wednesday, the Gunners head to the Spanish capital to take on Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their European tie.
Despite thrashing Atletico 4-0 earlier in the competition, the encounter with Diego Simeone's outfit promises to be a tense and gruelling battle. Three days afterwards, Mikel Arteta's men welcome Fulham in a crucial Premier League title showdown.
City will draw level on points with the Gunners if they win their game in hand, meaning the north Londoners simply cannot afford to surrender more ground if they harbour ambitions of lifting the trophy. Yet Carragher, who secured Champions League glory but never Premier League success as a player, cautioned Arsenal that their punishing schedule of three fixtures in six days will exact a heavy toll.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher said: "I know this myself when playing Champions League semi-finals when you play Wednesday-Tuesday, that is a big difference between playing Tuesday-Wednesday.
"You are actually playing three games in six days rather than three games in eight days and that is a massive difference at this stage in the season and that is why I really worry for Arsenal about this (Fulham at home).
"So you play Wednesday night there (away at Atletico) which is really difficult, you have to travel back away. Fulham are a decent side and then you have got to go again on the Tuesday night.
"For me they have been very unfortunate the way the games have fallen, so three games in six days is really tough. It's when there is that two-day turnaround it is very difficult to recover.
Marco Silva and Mikel Arteta
Jamie Carragher has tipped Marco Silva's side to be difficult for Arsenal(Image: AFP or licensors)
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"For me when I am looking at Arsenal's fixtures, that (Fulham) would be the one that would worry me more than anything because of the situation of Atletico Madrid."
Following the Fulham clash, Arsenal welcome Atletico for the second leg on Tuesday, 5 May, before making the trip to relegation-threatened but steadily improving West Ham United on Sunday, 10 May. Arteta will require every member of his squad if he harbours hopes of delivering the club's maiden Premier League and Champions League double.
Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a battling 1-0 home triumph over Newcastle United last weekend. The result lifted them to the summit of the table, though City hold a game in hand after their FA Cup semi-final against Southampton.
Eberechi Eze of Arsenal celebrates scoring
Eberechi Eze's goal was enough to secure a previous victory over Newcastle(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Following the win, Arteta delivered a rallying message to his squad, declaring: "I'm really happy for the win. We talked about game one and how important that was. We did the job. We should have finished with a bigger margin in certain moments of the game.
"But when it's 1-0 it's always tough because they have quality, because they brought so many good players on the bench as well. And when we don't finish the action, especially the open ones that we had, the margin is going to be smaller."
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