Premier League | Gameweek 15

Dec 8, 2024 at 2pm UK

Craven Cottage

Fulhamvs.Arsenal

Match preview

Hitting Nottingham Forest for three and West Ham United and Sporting Lisbon for five wasn't the start of a similarly brutal attacking display against Man United. Their rigid defensive structure frustrated Arsenal throughout the first half of their Emirates encounter.

However, Ruben Amorim quickly became the latest manager to fall victim to Arsenal's set-piece prowess. Jurrien Timber's header and William Saliba's unconventional finish from corners propelled the Gunners to a well-deserved win, given their dominance on the pitch.

As celebrated set-piece coach Nicolas Jover enjoys the plaudits once again, head coach Arteta is aiming to mastermind a fifth straight win in all competitions for his resurrected outfit. They've now cut the gap to leaders Liverpool down to seven points thanks to the Reds' slip-up at Newcastle United.

Chelsea beating Southampton 5-0 means that Arsenal have dropped to third in the Premier League table. But the visitors are great at all-capital clashes, having won seven of their last eight Premier League London derbies.

The Gunners scored at least five goals in their last away game against West Ham, which was the fifth time this has happened in 2024. No other English club has ever scored this many goals in six different away games in a single year. However, it's probably best not to dwell on their last away match at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal's pursuit of the title ended in defeat on New Year's Eve 2023, with a 2-1 loss to Fulham. This was a few months after they were held to just one point at home against Marco Silva's team, who have since been reinforced by a few former Arsenal players.

One of those Hale End graduates, Alex Iwobi, shone under the Thursday night lights when Brighton came to the capital. He scored twice, either side of a Matt O'Riley own goal, which meant that Carlos Baleba's effort and acrobatic celebration counted for nothing.

By hurting Brighton's chances of playing in the Europa League or the Conference League, the Cottagers have made it much more likely that they'll qualify for Europe. They're currently in sixth place in the standings, just one point below Brighton and four points behind Manchester City in the final Champions League spot.

It's been a great season for Fulham, with the team scoring in each of their last 15 matches in all competitions. They did have a dry spell at the start, though, and are still waiting for their first home clean sheet of the campaign.

Similarly to Arsenal, Silva's team have also shown their strength in London derbies, going unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against teams from London. They haven't enjoyed a longer streak without defeat in derby matches since 2001, but that nine-game sequence was brought to an end with a 3-1 reverse to Arsenal at Craven Cottage.

Recent Performance

Fulham Premier League form:DWWLDW

Arsenal Premier League form:DLDWWW

Arsenal form (all competitions):LDWWWW

Team News

After pulling out of the West Ham game last weekend, neither Riccardo Calafiori nor Gabriel Magalhaes were risked for the Man United match in midweek. They weren't seen in team training on Friday either, but they could still make the cut.

It looks like Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are the only ones who might miss Sunday's derby. They could be out because of their long-term knee problems. But there might be a couple of changes three days before the Champions League match with Monaco.

Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino are back from a knee problem and will be first in line for a place on the bench, while Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko will be replaced if Gabriel and Calafiori are allowed to play.

Fulham will also be without Reiss Nelson, who is on loan from Arsenal. He suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Brighton anyway, so he could be set for a spell on the sidelines.

Nelson joins Harrison Reed (knee) and Joachim Andersen (calf) in the Fulham infirmary, while Jorge Cuenca and Ryan Sessegnon will both require late fitness tests but won't be in contention for starting roles regardless.

Tom Cairney – sent off in the draw with Tottenham Hotspur last weekend – is still suspended, but Sasa Lukic is back from his own yellow-card ban to offer an alternative option in the hosts' engine room.

Possible starting lineup

Fulham possible starting lineup:

Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Havertz, Trossard