Arsenal vs Fulham preview: The home stretch

03/31/2025 03:42 PM

The Gunners return to Premier League play as the final run-in begins

And we are back. Again.

The final international break has come to an end, ushering in the run-in to the end of the season. With 9 matches left to play, Arsenal FC enter the break in 2nd place, trailing league leaders Liverpool by 12 points. The Gunners' dreams of finally ending their title drought have been more or less dead for weeks now. But until it's done and dusted, there are games left to play and the slimmest hope left to hold on to.

Arsenal welcome Fulham to the Emirates on Tuesday for a London derby, looking to break a frustrating winless run against the Cottagers, who have played spoiler to Arsenal in recent seasons.

With key players back in the fold, can Arsenal put their neighbors to the sword and finally get over the Fulham hump and make it a proper title race with 9 matches left to go?

Here are five talking points ahead of Tuesday's match:

Know the Enemy

Fulham's steady rise under manager Marco Silva has been admirable. After taking over in 2021 and guiding them to promotion, they have been a mainstay in the Premier League, occasionally brushing elbows with European spots. Currently sitting 8th, they are a win away from potentially being in the top 6, a prospect they will very much look at with eager eyes on Tuesday.

The story of the season for them has been the return to form of Raul Jimenez. His 10 goals lead the side, and he looks like a man reborn under Silva after joining the club in 2023. But the other slightly entertaining aspect, at least from an Arsenal aspect, is watching the club become a bit of an Arsenal 2.0 side. 5 former and current Gunners feature for the side, including Hale End grads Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe, as well as Bernd Leno, Willian, and on-loan Reiss Nelson.

Silva has gotten his team to play a very sound style of football, who attack down the wings well and play solid in transition. Their defense is quality, and have given up less goals (38) than the likes of Manchester City (40), Brighton, and Aston Villa (45), who are all also in the race for a European spots. Their asset against sides like Arsenal is their compact and disciplined mid-block, which has been a thorn in Mikel Arteta's side, with the Cottagers currently on a 3 match unbeaten run against Arsenal.

Last Time Out

VAR giveth, VAR taketh away.

Arsenal traveled to Craven Cottage in December on match week 14 fresh off a home win against Manchester United in a match that would be decided by the finest of margins.

The first half saw the Gunners pinned back after Raul Jimenez scored against the run of play. In the 11th minute, the Mexican striker got behind Arsenal's backline, beating an out-of-position Kiwior before finding space against William Saliba and smashing a low shot to the far corner from just inside the right side of the 18 yard box.

The Gunners finally got one back early in the 2nd half when William Saliba tapped in from three yards out on a corner after Jurrien Timber sent a header back across the box. At first, he looked to be offside, but after a lengthy VAR review, it was determined that he was kept onside by the toenail of Antonee Robinson. Game on.

Thomas Partey had a chance on a platter to put the Gunners ahead on another corner in the 70th minute, but his unmarked header sailed wide of the mark.

The turning point in the match came late, when Gabriel Martinelli looped a cross from the left to find Bukayo Saka at the back post for a close range header in the 86th minute. Arsenal's celebrations for what they thought was the late winner were dashed when VAR chalked it off for a marginal offside by Martinelli.

Injuries & Suspensions

Another international break meant two more weeks of holding our breath and hoping that the players all returned intact.

The bad news: the Gunners sustained one casualty when Riccardo Calafiori suffered another knee injury after slipping in eerily similar fashion to his last knee injury. The prognosis thankfully has him out for 2-3 weeks, but any injury news is bad at this stage.

The good news: the rest of the players returned without any injury scares. Jurrien Timber missed the Netherlands' matches with an illness, but has been back in training with Arsenal this weekend.

The best news: On Monday's press conference, Mikel Arteta was asked about Bukayo Saka, who he happily announced is back and ready to go. To what extent he will be able to play will remain to be seen, but his return is massive with Real Madrid looming.

Out: Kai Havertz (hamstring), Gabriel Jesus (ACL), Riccardo Calafiori (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee).

Predicted Lineup

Attack: Martinelli, Merino, Saka

I'm going to make the bold prediction that Saka starts on Tuesday. For all of the worries that he would need to be managed, Arteta's comments about Saka wanting to feature BEFORE the break are incredibly telling. It may not be a full match, but at home, with the run-in kicking on? The scenes will be incredible.

Midfield: Rice, Partey, Ødegaard

The preferred midfield trio return from international duty with a slew of goal contributions under their belts for their countries. Their performances will hopefully have buoyed their confidence, and they will need it as they face a foe whose mid-block has made life hard for them in recent matches.

Defense: Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel, Saliba, White

The defense will look to pick up where they left off as the league's staunchest backline. Myles Lewis-Skelly has been the story of the season in the defense, and his performances on international duty only further cemented his insane trajectory. I think, with Saka's return and Timber just recovering from illness, the chance for Ben White to start is increased, as it allows the right hand trio to reunite for the first time in ages.

Keeper: Raya

David Raya spent the break on Spain's bench, but returns to the pitch vying to earn a second consecutive golden glove award, with his 11 clean sheets only one behind Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels.

Hot Start

The first match after an international break is always a wonky one. Teams have a tendency to look a little out of sync as they get their league legs back with only a handful of training sessions behind them. Arsenal have the advantage of playing at home and absolutely need to capitalize on that and set the tone for the run-in. A trip to an equally frustrating Everton side looms on Saturday, giving shades of December's back-to-back draws away to Fulham and at home to Everton. Win on Tuesday, and Saturday becomes a less nerve-wracking prospect.

Fulham are one of those clubs that relish in making life tough for Arsenal, so I expect nothing less than a dogged battle between the two London sides. Both sides enter with plenty to prove, even if the league is out of reach for both. For Fulham, there's a chance to bridge the gap and fight for a European spot. For Arsenal, it's getting their groove ahead of Real Madrid, maintaining their top four spot, and breaking their winless run against their cross-town competitors. There will be no shortage of motivation for both, and hopefully Arsenal feed off the home crowd and break their winless Fulham slump.

WHO: Arsenal vs Fulham
WHAT: Premier League match day 30
WHEN: Tuesday, April 1st, 2:45pm EST/11:45pm PST/7:45pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming live on the Peacock app

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