Arsenal host their London rivals Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday. With the Gunners aiming to secure their third win in a row, here are some Arsenal vs Fulham predictions.
The Gunners have gained some traction at a crucial time of the season, and they’ve won their last two games. Will they be looking to secure a hat-trick with three wins?
Meanwhile, Fulham have lost four league games in a row and are on the verge of relegation.
Team news:
Arsenal:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is suffering from malaria and will be unavailable.
Martin Odegaard is also recovering from an ankle injury. If Odegaard is ruled out again for Arsenal, Nicolas Pepe, and Willian can be on attack instead.
Granit Xhaka has played Arsenal’s last two games at left-back instead of Kierney, which implies he’s Mikel Arteta’s short-term replacement.
Hector Bellerin and Gabriel will be in the starting lineup again after forming defense against Slavia Prague on Thursday.
Arsenal possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Mari, Xhaka; Partey, Elneny; Willian, Ceballos, Martinelli; Lacazette
Fulham:
Scott Parker will be hoping to have powerful winger Ademola Lookman ready on Sunday. Lookman missed the previous match, against Wolves, due to a hamstring injury.
If Lookman is unable to rebound, Fulham may opt for a back three. And Aleksandr Mitrovic is currently above Ivan Cavaleiro and January signing Josh Maja in the pecking order for this position.
Mario Lemina and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa are both vying for starting in the central midfield spot. Lemina might be the one to start on Sunday.
Fulham have already trained their players hard for Sunday’s bout.
Fulham possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Areola; Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo; Tete, Lemina, Reed, Robinson; Cordova-Reid, Loftus-Cheek; Mitrovic
Arsenal vs Fulham Predictions:
- Arsenal seem to have found form with back-to-back victories in all tournaments, but they haven’t won three in a row since the turn of the year.
- Still, Arsenal will be confident after defeating Slavia Prague 0-4 away on Thursday to advance to the Europa League’s semi-finals. Their only hope of playing in the Champions League next season is to win the tournament. They are 10 points behind fourth position, and so, four teams stand between them and the final qualifying spot.
- Fulham dropped six points after conceding disastrous late goals in back-to-back games. Time may be up for the Cottagers in the Premier League, as there are six games remaining. They have yet to even face Chelsea and Manchester United.
- Although Arteta is likely to rotate his team after Thursday’s trip to Prague, the Gunners should have enough consistency to make Fulham lose for the fifth time in a row.
