Arsenal will be eyeing a second-straight Premier League win when they host Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners returned to winning ways in the league with a slender 1-0 victory over Newcastle United last weekend. They were far from their best, but prevailed with three points after Eberechi Eze’s wonder strike.
Arsenal could not beat Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final (1-1) on Wednesday, and they now face a stern challenge against the Cottagers, given the short turnaround time.
The Gunners can go six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the league table with a win this weekend, given the Cityzens won’t be in action until Monday night against Everton away from home.
Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta could make at least three changes to the starting XI.
Right-back switch
Ben White has started the last two matches for the Gunners. The Englishman conceded a costly penalty against Atletico yesterday and also lost multiple duels against Ademola Lookman. He was fortunate as the Nigerian lacked the cutting edge with his finishing. Cristhian Mosquera came on to replace him late on. He provided better defensive assurance and could have scored the winner. He induced a late save from goalkeeper Jan Oblak. We expect the Spaniard to be reinstated at right-back.
Two changes in attack
Martin Odegaard was substituted before the hour mark against Atletico with fresh discomfort in his knee. The Norwegian had a lively start yesterday and had an early effort on goal that was blocked. His early substitution for Eberechi Eze came as a surprise, but the injury was probably the main reason. If he is unfit, Arteta has an easy decision to field Eze in the number 10 role.
Gabriel Martinelli got the nod on the left wing for the Gunners at the Wanda Metropolitano. He had a solid game with a passing accuracy of 95 percent. The Brazilian also made five recoveries and worked hard off the ball. He faded in the second half before his substitution.
Against Fulham, there could be a swap with Leandro Trossard getting the nod in the XI. The Cottagers tend to play a low block, and Trossard could be effective in such situations with his dribbling and ability to create chances in tight spaces. The £27 million signing made the difference in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage, scoring the winner in the 58th minute.
No more changes are likely this weekend. Bukayo Saka has been a substitute in the last two matches and could assume a similar role behind Noni Madueke. The Gunners graduate does not appear to be up to full speed and could be utilised from the bench to make a contribution again.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com