For all its been a season of frustration at Arsenal the time to choke isn’t now. After spending much of the season outside of the top-four the Gunners couldn’t have timed their recent resurgence any finer. One defeat in 11 has reignited hope of attaining Champions League qualification for a 16th consecutive season and rightly so. However, the goalless draw with Everton on Monday has allowed anxiety to creep in once again and that is something Arsene Wenger needs to quickly nip in the bud. The North London club are currently sandwiched in between third placed Chelsea and fierce rivals Tottenham in fifth with little margin for error. Basically it’s a case of winning their remaining games and keeping Spurs on a short leash. Anything less and disaster could follow.
Conversely, Fulham’s season is done and dusted with five games to spare. With 40 points already chalked up and a top-half finish in their sights there isn’t much left for Martin Jol’s side to play for. That was evident during the 3-0 thumping suffered at the hands of west London foes Chelsea on Wednesday and they’ll undoubtedly be smarting from that. Now the task for Jol is to ensure his players don’t fall victims to complacency and end a season of unnerving consistency on a low note.
Team News
Damien Duff will miss out for Fulham after suffering an adductor strain against Chelsea in mid-week. Steve Sidwell returns after completing a three-match ban but fellow midfielders Ashkan Dejagah (ankle) and Mahamadou Diarra (knee) are out for the season.
Goalkeeper Lukas Fabiankski misses out for Arsenal because of a cracked rib meaning Wojciech Szczesny will return to the starting lineup. Thomas Rosicky (hamstring) will undergo a fitness test before kick-off.
What the managers said…
“Arsenal have done ever so well in the last couple of months and they have got themselves back into that fight for Champions League football. I admire Arsene Wenger, he is an unbelievable manager. He is emotional, he wants to win. If you look at this season, they had that unbelievable win at Bayern and they have come back. All the teams like Spurs and Chelsea and Everton have been fighting for that top four spot and Arsenal are in that again.” Martin Jol backs Arsene Wenger to guide Arsenal to a top-four finish (Daily Mail)
“I don’t think it holds players back. In fact, the opposite, the foreign players who come to England improve and you get that aspect of the game as well. I’ve seen so many French players complain about the physicality when they arrived in England. I tell them it will take some time but the intensity of the game will make them better players.” Arsene Wenger believes the Premier League’s physical nature is beneficial for foreign players (arsenal.com)
Pre-match Statistic: Fulham are unbeaten in each of their last four Premier League meetings with Arsenal.
Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Arsenal
Make your bets ahead of the showdown at Craven Cottage by clicking on the banner below
[ad_pod id=’hititbet’ align=’center’]