Hooray, the Interlull has ended, and Arsenal hope to celebrate that fact on Tuesday evening with three points against their guests from the west of London. On the Arsenal website this week Jonathon Rogers put together an enjoyable piece with the highlights of five famous wins against Fulham, in each of which bar one (in 2002, 2005, 2010 and 2019) Arsenal scored four times. Wouldn’t it be nice to see something similar happen this time, I hear you thinking. The fifth match in question, however, in 2022, was the most recent home fixture in which Arsenal took all the points from these opponents, and it was a markedly tight affair in which Gabriel provided a late winner. That game’s 2-1 result is a more likely predictive model for Tuesday’s contest than any of the others considering that the Gunners still have several important attackers out injured, and they drew twice and lost once in their three most recent league encounters with Fulham.
The Opposition
Fulham have been referred to as “Arsenal B” from time to time this season due to their ex-Gunners contingent of Bernd Leno, Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe, as well as Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson. The Cottagers are in the middle of an excellent season, and currently stand 8th in the Premier League, having won 12 and lost only 8 of their 29 matches. Their away record is equally impressive as they have won 6 and lost only 4 of their 14 away games. Fulham come into this match on three days rest having exited the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage on Saturday when they lost at home to Crystal Palace by 0-3. Fulham were on top in that game for the first 30 minutes but failed to take advantage of their early dominance, and I am a bit leery that a top half club like Fulham are unlikely to play two such poor matches consecutively.
The Gunners will be looking to make amends for the two points they dropped to Fulham in this season’s reverse fixture in early December when Saliba canceled out an early Jimenez go-ahead goal for the Cottagers, and Arsenal’s late winner was subsequently chalked off by the execrable VAR authorities.
Arsenal
The peach of Mikel Arteta’s pre-match team news is that Bukayo Saka is fit to start, in an amazingly quick recovery. Saka, who surely must now be considered the Gunners’ star man as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have grown into the role of the new star boys, has been out for over three months after undergoing surgery on his torn hamstring. Even if he doesn’t start against Fulham, and I think it’s probably a tad early to risk his complete recovery by playing him from the start, Bukayo’s availability is wonderful news for the remainder of Arsenal’s season.
Our often injured left back Calafiori is out for several weeks, but the rather sturdier Timber has recovered from illness, and could be due to start at left back, giving MLS a rest as Ben White contends for a return to his place as Arsenal’s starting right back. So, I expect Arteta will name a starting XI with many of these names, although they are likely to be positioned slightly, or perhaps significantly differently than I suggest here:
Raya
White Saliba Gabriel Timber
Ødegaard Partey Rice
Nwaneri Merino Martinelli
As I hinted above, 2-1 to the Arsenal sounds just about right to me, and particularly if we can find a source for the couple of goals we may need to get over the line in our first post-Interlull outing. Wherever you are watching the game, ‘holics, enjoy the game and do your best to cheer us to the magic three points.
Thanks for a fine preview Bt8. One fact that I hope does not change is that Fulham have never won at Arsenal . They’ve come very close but we pulled a draw out of the fire a few years ago at the death
I wasn’t impressed with Fulham on Saturday .They were ultimately outplayed by Palace but they have been effective at times this season and Silva is a canny tactician who may be at the Toilet Bowl next season . I don’t think Saka will start but I think MLS will. He has become integral to the team in a short time . I’m going and expecting a 2-0 win tomorrow.
Thanks bt8 !
Mikel Arteta has been sounding quite certain in his pre-match pressers that Saka is ready to play – all the “careful things” have been done and he wants to play. Whether that goes as far as to start, we don’t know but I actually wouldn’t be that surprised, although an introduction off the bench would be more obvious.
I do agree with TTG that MLS will start on the left. His confidence must be high after his two England appearances and he executes Arteta’s favoured inverting role perfectly.
Your point about “wherever you are watching the game “ is an interesting one as I am down to do the match report and I can’t find any indication that it’s on the telly. Still, where there’s a will there’s a way – I hope !
A breezy preview, bt8. I think you are right it wil be a close scoreline and I hope you are right about Saka not starting. He needs to be eased back in so he can manage 180 mins against Real Madrid.
That is a remarkable stat about Fulham never having won away against us. It is a record that dates back across 32 games to February 1904, when the clubs met for the first time, in the FA Cup on the mud of Plumstead. Richard Shanks shanked the only goal of the game. The Irish inside left also scored 24 goals in 30 league games that season. We could use a bit of that goal-scoring efficiency on Tuesday evening.
Thanks bt8, like you I fancy a home win in a tight game.
The scrap for the CL places Is wide open this season, which
is nice for the neutral observer I suppose, but will make for
a harder end of season run than usual I think.
Good stuff, bt8. I too expect MLS to keep his place at ‘left back’ but suspect that MA8’s upbeat assertions about Saka are mind games and that he will get a 30 minute run out in the second half. He may well have had 6 training sessions with the team and played a behind closed doors match but I would be surprised if anyone on those fields was trying to maim him the way opponents have a habit of doing!
Cheers bt8.
Going to go for an optimistic 3-0.
Hope you find a way, Trev. It’s definitely on here, lucky me!
And I’m with baff on MLS and Saka.
Top preview bt8. I’m off to the Ems tonight. Trev I fear you’ll be stream hunting as it’s not on tv.
On another topic here’s a great piece from a Newcastle season ticket holder concerned at who owns his beloved club.
https://www.nufcfansagainstsportswashing.org.uk/who-and-what-are-we-winning-for-exactly
Enjoy, C100!
C100@8: Thanks for the link. That is a very heartfelt and cogently argued piece that will resonate with many here. Provides food for thought about our Rwanda sponsorship.
Many thanks bt8 for a fine preview. I think your team is pretty close but my guess is matching Bath & Ollie in that MLS will play LB and Starboi will c9me on to replace Nwaneri at some stage. Timber is coming back from a “strong illness” that forced him to miss the recent internationals, has played a lot recently is my thoughts behind this. Of course Arteta has upto date information to his fitness level.
The Cottagers have become a difficult team for us to overcome of late. Hopefully their cup defeat last Saturday along with playing just 3 days ago will work in our favour.
2-0 to the good guys will do very nicely thank you.
Thanks to C100 for posting the link from the Geordie fan – it was a very well written and structured piece regarding the Saudi state ownership.
Excellent piece at your Geordie link, C100 🙏🏼
The Holic clock has been ticking away, and now says it is more than 63 years and 11 months since Spurs last won the league, big club my arse (it adds jauntily).
In former years I might at this point have offered a commemorative youtube link to the Beatles singing When I’m Sixty-Four, but these days there don’t seem to be any such links that don’t forxe you to watch an advert before you get to hear the song, so no link will be offered (unless you can find one, real or imagined…)
Arsenal team:
Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Lewis-Skelly, Thomas, Odegaard (c), Rice, Merino, Nwaneri, Martinelli.
White doesn’t even make the bench (Kiwior, Zinchenko, Trossard, Jorginho, Sterling, J. Gower, Neto, Tierney, Saka), which doesn’t sound good. Not sure who J. Gower is, but I do know Saka. I party with Saka as a matter of (semi)-fact.
Benny Blanco has reportedly had ‘a little niggle’ for the past couple of days, so isn’t being risked.
Jimi Gower is an Academy DM who has trained with the first team squad quite a bit this season.
Now that’s a comeback! Well in Bukayo Saka
Well in Saka and well in the ‘holic pound on that 2-1 predicted score. Not that it was worth the nervousness at the end, and here’s hoping that Gabriel returns soon
Got the job done in the end, but not with much panache other than some really excellent forward play by Martinelli and Merino. MLS played well positionally, and must have been fouled by Sessegnon at least four or five times in that second half. Onwards.
Three points and Bukayo on the score sheet. Some balance has been restored to the universe.
Fingers crossed for Gabriel.
An important 3 points against an opponent we find a tough nut to crack. Good performances by many and the goal scoring return of starboi the icing on the cake.
We are currently 27 points above the neighbours who have 9 matches to play – St Totteringham Day could come on Thursday when they travel to the Bus Stop in Fulham.
This would be one of the earliest on record 😀
A mixed night which we will discuss more after Trev’s report which I suspect will have some useful information about the potential injury news regarding Gabriel and Timber .
Lovely to see Bukayo back and Martinelli playing so confidently. I also really liked Partey and Merino tonight . Odegaard is really not playing near his best
Re Gower- this is Jimi Gower who played and scored for the reserves last night at Leicester. He is an age group international and a very intelligent midfield player . No relation as far as I know to an elegant left handed batsman from Leicestershire
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