London derby: Arsenal host Fulham in the Premier League tonight
Arsenal return to action for the first time in 16 days as they host Fulham in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium tonight. The international break was followed by a weekend off for the Gunners, as a result of them exiting the FA Cup earlier this season, and it should ensure they come into this clash with fresh legs.
The big news for Arsenal is that Bukayo Saka is fit and in contention to start tonight, more than three months after undergoing hamstring injury. Mikel Arteta has insisted Saka has already proved his fitness and there are no concerns, but it remains to be seen whether the Gunners do opt to be cautious, with that Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid only a week away.
Fulham were knocked out of the FA Cup by Crystal Palace on Saturday, losing 3-0 to miss out on a date at Wembley. Marco Silva’s side, though, are unbeaten in their last three matches against Arsenal, and will be looking to frustrate the Gunners yet again here. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog, featuring expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground!
Arsenal vs Fulham latest news
Kick-off: 7:45pm BST | Emirates Stadium
How to watch: Not on TV in UK
Arsenal team news
Live updates
5 minutes ago
Arsenal team news
Bukayo Saka is tonight in line to make his long-awaited return for Arsenal tonight.
Saka has not featured since suffering a hamstring tear against Crystal Palace on December 21 that required surgery.
But the Gunners appeared to receive a boost last week when the club’s official social media channels shared photos of Saka in training.
And Mikel Arteta replied “yes” when asked whether Saka could start against Fulham.
“Bukayo is ready to go,” Arteta said. “All the careful things are already done. Now it’s about putting him on the grass in the right moments. But he’s pushing because he really wants it. We’ve had to hold him back, even.”
Arsenal suffered their latest concern in an injury-plagued season when defender Riccardo Calafiori sustained a knee injury during a nasty slip while playing for Italy, and he will be out for “weeks”.
Jurrien Timber is available again after illness, but trio Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kai Havertz are out for the rest of the season with long-term injuries.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; Timber; Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
17 minutes ago
How to watch Arsenal vs Fulham
TV channel: In the UK, the game will not be televised.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Free highlights: In the UK, Match of the Day will air highlights from the game on BBC One at 10.40pm BST tomorrow.
25 minutes ago
Good afternoon!
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Arsenal vs Fulham!
It’s been 16 days since the Gunners were last in action, with the international break followed by a weekend of FA Cup action.
Mikel Arteta’s side are back tonight and will be looking to build confidence ahead of next week’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here, ahead of kick-off which comes at 7:45pm BST from the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
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