By Matt Smith
Marco Silva’s men will be looking to overcome the disappointment of being eliminated from the FA Cup at the weekend as they continue to fight for the European places in the league.
The Cottagers have picked up some impressive results over Arsenal in the last few seasons, and are unbeaten in their last three meetings. The last time the two sides met, they couldn’t be separated as goals from Raúl Jiménez and William Saliba saw the game end 1-1 earlier in the season.
Team News
Arsenal have received a major boost heading into the game with Mikel Arteta confirming that Bukayo Saka will be available for selection once again. The England international is yet to feature in 2025 after undergoing surgery. In more disappointing news, Riccardo Calafiori will be unavailable after picking up an injury on international duty.
Fulham aren’t expected to have any fresh fitness woes, with Silva confirming that there is ‘nothing serious’ except a few knocks and some tiredness from the Crystal Palace clash.
Defence over attack
Arsenal have been one of the most impressive sides in the Premier League this season when it comes to their defensive performances, conceding just 0.8 goals per game, fewer than any side in the league. Going forward is where the issues lay, and losing Saka for a large portion of the campaign undoubtedly hampered their impact in the final third.
The Gunners have created 45.7 expected goals this season, ranking them seventh in the division. If they are hoping to win the Premier League, they’re going to have to show more of a threat in the final third.
Fulham a tight-knit unit under Silva
Similar to Arsenal, the Cottagers are a difficult side to penetrate and have conceded just 33.4 expected goals this season, only bettered by the Gunners and Liverpool. The addition of Joachim Andersen at the back has helped their cause, meaning they’ve conceded just 1.3 goals per game on average.
The defeat at home to Crystal Palace in such a crucial FA Cup tie might have knocked some of the wind out of the sails of Fulham, but they’ll need to bounce back quickly if they want to stand a chance of winning the incredibly tight race for Europe.
The return of Saka could be key
Despite Saka missing the whole of 2025 so far, the England international still leads the way for goals and assists combined for Arsenal. Saka has also created the most big chances (19), has the highest expected assists tally (5.6) and averages a higher match rating than any other player in the squad (7.76).
Arteta simply doesn’t have another player who can replicate what Saka produces. There’s an argument to suggest he could be rested with a Champions League clash against Real Madrid coming up, but even a 30-minute cameo against Fulham could make all the difference for Arsenal.
Prediction
Winning the Premier League title is still mathematically possible, so we’re not expecting the Gunners to slip up. We’re going for a 2-0 Arsenal win.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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