Premier League leaders Arsenal make the short yet tricky trip to Craven Cottage as Marco Silva’s Fulham hope to cause another upset this weekend.

Fulham have not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Arsenal over the last two seasons, as the Cottagers have proven their resilience in this fixture. Marco Silva has seen another mixed start to a new campaign amid plenty of controversy with regards to officiating against his side.

Currently, the Cottagers are not in a good vein of form, as their defeat away at Bournemouth right before the international break was their second in a row. Before that, they were beaten comfortably by Aston Villa, and now they face a stern test against Arsenal.

The Gunners are probably the in-form team in the division, as they are currently leading the standings after seven games on board. Mikel Arteta did have his critics worked up on a few occasions this season, but overall, the Spaniard has managed to get a tune out of his squad, including the eight new arrivals during the summer.

Arsenal were criticised last season for not taking advantage of Liverpool’s occasional slump, something Arteta has corrected this time so far. The Premier League title holders have dropped points on consecutive matchdays, and the Gunners have taken full advantage of it with wins over Newcastle United and West Ham United.

A Declan Rice strike and a Bukayo Saka penalty proved enough to secure the three points and an advantage in the standings before the international break. Arsenal will play early this weekend, as a win in this tricky away fixture will allow Arteta’s men to add to the pressure on Liverpool, who take on Manchester United on Sunday.

Team News & Tactics

Fulham

Marco Silva has a mounting injury list to contend with, as Sasa Lukic, Rodrigo Muniz, and Antonee Robinson have been ruled out. There are further doubts around Raul Jimenez, Kenny Tete, and Samuel Chukwueze, with the trio likely to be touch and go for this game against Arsenal.

Tom Cairney is best placed to replace Lukic in the midfield setting, while Silva could switch to a back three as he did in the game against Bournemouth before the international break. Hence, Issa Diop, Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey are expected to feature in a back three for Fulham against Arsenal.

Ryan Sessegnon and Timothy Castagne will reprise the wing-back roles, which effectively allows Silva to use this setup as a back five without the ball. Former Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe may not have a place in the starting lineup, although another ex-Gunner, Alex Iwobi, will feature on the left side of the attacking three for Fulham.

In the absence of Muniz and considering the doubts about Jimenez, Joshua King could have an opportunity to lead the line for the Cottagers, while Harry Wilson will be preferred on the right wing.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Leno; Diop, Andersen, Bassey; Castagne, Cairney, Berge, Sessegnon; Wilson, Iwobi; King

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta, too, has his fair share of injury troubles as skipper Martin Odegaard has been ruled out for a few weeks with a knee injury sustained against West Ham United before the international break. The Norwegian playmaker accompanies Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus in the list of long-term absentees, but Piero Hincapie has resumed training.

The Ecuadorian defender had been sidelined since the clash away at Athletic Club with a groin problem, and he could make the bench for the visit to Craven Cottage. Either way, Arteta is unlikely to change his backline, which has conceded just three times across all competitions so far this season.

The big tinkering will come in the form of replacing Odegaard, as Arteta can either use Ethan Nwaneri in the role or accommodate Eze there. Should Nwaneri start, then Eze will probably play on the left wing. Martin Zubimendi and Ben White were not in training, but the manager confirmed they are fit and available for the weekend.

Zubimendi will assume his midfield role alongside Rice, and there is a possibility for Nwaneri to get a start here. Alternatively, the in-form Mikel Merino is also an option for Arteta to consider, although he could keep the Spaniard on the bench for this one as a contingent plan if things do not go well.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Nwaneri, Eze; Gyokeres

Key Stats

• Fulham have only beaten Arsenal four times – all at home – in the Premier League era.
• Arsenal are undefeated in 13 of their last 14 matches against Fulham in all competitions.
• Arsenal are undefeated in 32 of their last 35 matches in the Premier League.
• Arsenal’s last away defeat in London came at Craven Cottage back in December 2023.
• Fulham have lost both of their last two Premier League games and could lose three in a row for the first time since December 2023. They have shipped three goals in both of those last two defeats, last conceding 3+ more times in a row in the competition in September 2020 (4) – a run that included a 0-3 home defeat to Arsenal.

Player to Watch

Viktor Gyokeres

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The Swedish striker endured a bad run for Sweden during the international break, and they are on the brink of being eliminated from their qualification group. However, Mikel Arteta has been full of praise for Gyokeres, despite his lack of goals since the win over Nottingham Forest.

While the team is performing, there is not as much scrutiny on the Swede’s lack of goals, although he needs those at the earliest to alleviate pressure off his shoulders. While he is doing the other aspects of his role well, the primary reason why the Gunners spent the money on Gyokeres was to score goals, and he could do that starting with the away trip to Fulham.

Prediction

Fulham 1-2 Arsenal

Fulham have made life difficult for Arsenal at Craven Cottage in consecutive seasons, and they will hope they repeat the trick this weekend. Marco Silva is under pressure to deliver a big result, and while he will surely enter this game targeting a win, the prospects of getting one against an in-form Arsenal side are slightly difficult.

Mikel Arteta will want another accomplished performance at both ends of the pitch, and he will continue to lean towards keeping defensive stability over everything else. The Gunners also have formidable options in the attacking third, which more or less points towards another victory here as Arsenal are widely expected to retain their place at the top of the Premier League standings.