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Arsenal will resume their remaining Premier League campaign on Sunday, hosting relegation-threatened Fulham at the Emirates Stadium following a superb Europa League victory over Slavia Prague (4-0) on Thursday. The physical condition of Mikel Arteta’s men could be tested against a desperate Fulham side.
Heading into this weekend’s game Arsenal will take the confidence and build on a similar performance for three points against the underdogs. However, they have been inconsistent often this season, and Arteta is almost running out of time to address this issue. Still, a 3-0 win away against Sheffield United in their last league outing should really boost their morale against another relegation battlers Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners rather enjoy an excellent record against the Cottagers, but will have to manage without David Luiz, Martin Odegaard, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kieran Tierney, the four key players this season. And even though it is quite difficult, Arsenal still have a bleak chance of qualifying for Europe next season, with Arteta regularly claiming that his side will fight till the very end for continental qualification – no matter how unlikely that may be.
Fulham, meanwhile, will be eyeing a victory whatsoever. But Scott Parker’s men will have to produce some good performance in the final run if they are to stay at the top-tier. Four consecutive losses, and the Whites are back into the danger zone once again. So, a win at the Emirates Stadium could just be enough to boost their confidence for the last five matches.
Dutch defender Terence Kongolo has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after sustaining an injury against Wolves last Friday. Ademola Lookman, Marek Rodak and Tom Cairney are all set to miss for the Cottagers once again due to injury.
Key Players
Alexander Lacazette has been in an impressive form lately, scoring six goals in the last six games with his double against Slavia Prague securing Arsenal’s place in the Europa League semis. Most importantly, his return to form comes at a time when teammate Aubameyang has seen his performance dip. The former Lyon forward scored 13 times and assisted twice in twenty-seven league appearances so far and with the latest brace on Thursday night, Lacazette will have to lead an inexperienced Gunners side for the last six games of the season.
When the 2020/21 season comes to an end, the Arsenal faithful can look back at Emil Smith Rowe’s emergence with pride. The 20-year-old since breaking into the first team at Christmas, has been one of their important players with some skilful and mesmerizing off the ball movement. His natural abilities allow him to draw the opposition out of their position while his quick third man run generates space for the unmarked forwards. And with Nicolas Pepe to his left, Saka to his right and Alexandre Lacazette in front, the midfielder from Croydon can change the game for his side any time he wants.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. The Cameroonian midfielder has been a standout performer for Fulham this season after a bad first stint with the club. This time though, he is the only player in the Premier League to register over 50 tackles and 50 completed take-ons. It would have been a foolish decision had Scott Parker ignored Anguissa’s versatility, after his thriving spell with Villareal on a loan deal last year. So even if Fulham go down, Anguissa will surely be remembered for his redemption in a disappointing top-flight campaign for the Cottagers.
Another standout performer for Fulham this season has been loanee Joachim Andersen. The centre-back has shown leadership skills throughout the season which has been noticed by many of the Premier League giants including Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea. His overall form has been really good as he rose to the occasion when Fulham started picking up vital points with victory against Leicester and draws against Tottenham, Newcastle and Liverpool at home. As per WhoScored, the 24-year-old defender from Lyon makes five clearances and 1.4 interceptions per game, impressive for a side battling relegation.
Prediction
Arsenal are clear favourites to win on Sunday with confidence sky-high for the Gunners. Although Arteta’s side can automatically qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League, the Spaniard will still push for a better spot in the table instead of their current place at ninth with 45 points.
Arsenal have won all of their last six fixtures against Fulham, including a 3-0 victory when these two teams met back in September, and in the previous five encounters, the London clubs produced over 2.5 goals per game.
Fulham conceded late goals in their last two fixtures that might come back to haunt them. The calendar isn’t favourable to them either, with Chelsea and Manchester United still to face after Sunday’s trip to the Emirates. So if the Cottagers need to survive the relegation, they better start performing sooner rather than later.
