After progressing to the semi-finals of the Europa League, Arsenal will now shift their focus to the Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will host Fulham in a London Derby in an early kick-off on Sunday. The Spaniard will have the option to rotate some of his options after what has been a demanding couple of weeks for the players.
The Gunners are currently ninth-placed on the table and have the opportunity to close in on a spot for the Europa League following a draw between Everton and Tottenham yesterday. Fulham, on the other hand, look doomed for relegation. Having already played an extra game, and still being six points away from safety, wins are the only acceptable result for the club.
WHEN & WHERE?
Time: 13:30 PM (BST)
Date: Sunday, 18th April
Where: Emirates Stadium, London.
RECENT FORM
Arsenal’s recent Premier League form (W-L-D-W-D):
A convincing 3-0 win against Sheffield United in their last league game and an even better display in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League will give Arsenal an added boost ahead of Sunday.
However, they haven’t registered consecutive wins in the league since Mid-January. This inconsistent form has been their downfall this season. Should they manage to eliminate this inconsistency in the final stretch of the season, they are definitely in contention for a spot in next year’s Europa League.
Fulham’s recent Premier League form (L-L-L-L-W):
A last-minute Adama Traore winner prevented Fulham from scoring points in their last outing in the Premier League.
The Cottagers have put themselves in decent positions in their recent games. However, despite seemingly having things under control, they always seem to collapse in the second half. Their last 4 games have seen each of their losing goals conceded in the second 45′ of games. This has been a worrying recent trend which Scott Parker has to eliminate if he wants to come away from the Emirates with a result.
TEAM NEWS
Arsenal Team News:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be assessed ahead of the game after he was diagnosed with Malaria. It will depend upon the skipper’s progress in recovery. Meanwhile, Kieran Tierney and David Luiz are both ruled out with knee injuries, with the former unlikely to play again this season. Lastly, Martin Odegaard’s ankle injury is being assessed to see if he is match fit or not.
Fulham Team News:
Club Captain, Tom Cairney’s return to training is encouraging, however, it is still unknown whether he is match-fit or not. Given his absence for over four months, it is highly unlikely that he starts immediately. Unfortunately for Fulham, Terrence Kongolo, the centre-back who made his Premier League debut against Wolves last week, is ruled out for the rest of the season.
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Arsenal Predicted XI vs Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno, Chambers, Holding, Mari, Cedric, Xhaka, Partey, Pepe, Smith-Rowe, Willian, Lacazette.
Fulham Predicted XI vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Areola, Tete, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Aina, Reed, Leimina, Reid, Loftus-Cheek, Cavaleiro, Maja.
