Overview
Arsenal are going through a series of poor performances, having won only 1/4 of their most recent matches in the Premier League. These results have left them 12 points behind Liverpool in the rankings and almost out of chances for the championship.
The sidelines or corner kicks of coach Mikel Arteta's team are also gradually being predicted and are no longer effective. The absence of many stars in the attack such as Bukayo Saka or Kai Havertz directly affects the quality of Arsenal's playing style.
However, Arsenal still have to try their best in the upcoming matches, not only to keep their hopes of chasing Liverpool up but also to keep their 2nd place under pressure from Nottingham Forest. Welcoming Fulham at the Emirates has given the "Gunners" some confidence. In the Premier League, Arsenal have only lost once at home in 14 matches.
Despite their good form at the Emirates, The Gunners promise to still face many difficulties against Fulham. With English football likely to qualify for the 5th Champions League, opportunities have opened up for more teams and Fulham is one of them.
Fulham is currently ranked 8th with 45 points, only 3 points behind Man City in 5th place. That is the motivation for coach Marco Silva's team to make more efforts in the rest of the season. After being eliminated from the FA Cup, the Premier League is Fulham's only target.
However, Fulham is in unstable form, having won 3 and lost 2 in between in the last 5 rounds of the Premier League. In the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend, they were also defeated by Crystal Palace with a score of 3-0.
In December last year, Arsenal lost two key points when Fulham held them to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage. Raul Jimenez took the home team to the top, before William Saliba equalized in the second half.
Personnel situation
Saka is unlikely to be put on the field from the start, so Ethan Nwaneri could start as a right winger after impressing for the England U21 team.
On the other side of the front line, Fulham could make some changes after the disappointing loss to Palace. Jimenez is among the names that could be a starting forward.
Expected lineup:
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Odegaard, Rice, Nwaneri, Trossard, Martinelli.
Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Lukic, Pereira, Iwobi, Smith Rowe, Jimenez.
The match between Arsenal and Fulham takes place at 1:45 am on February 4 (Vietnam time).
