Arsenal vs Fulham - 01/04/2025 - KO 19:45 GMT (or 18:45 if you’re Peter Hitchens)

It will have been 16 days since our last match (which is the longest gap between games that we’ve had since the season began on August 18th). Gabriel cleverly got himself booked meaning he missed Brazil getting thumped by Argentina last week. Calafiori is out but likely to be in contention for next week

Saka is reportedly scheduled to start, I cannot say how strongly I think this is not a good idea for a player that has been out since December 21st. Arteta has learnt seemingly nothing from breaking his favourite toy, load management in his view is for losers.

I’m not saying Saka shouldn’t play, I just think given the Premier league is done I don’t think it’s a good idea to put so much pressure on a player who clearly isn’t going to be match fit.


Anyway who I think we should put out

Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Merino, Martinelli



Who I think we will put out


Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Martinelli, Merino, Saka

Fancy us to win because Fulham are probably on a downer after their cup defeat.

2-0.

0-3 ESR hatter

Arteta talking about starting Saka is madness, if he does he's even more dumb than I thought, I just hope it's a bluff

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Fancy us to win because Fulham are probably on a downer after their cup defeat.

2-0.

---

Fulham always seem to raise their game against us, so I'm not expecting an easy ride.

I just hope whatever formation he puts out, Nwaneri plays, because we will need real goal threats against them as scoring early goals is the only thing that silences Fulham.

Feels like ages since we've played.

I hope we win, tbh.

So since Fulham were first promoted to the Premier League in 2001, we’ve played them 35 times

Of those 35 games we’ve won 23, drawn 8 and lost 4

All those 4 defeats have come at Craven Cottage (2006, 2008, 2012, 2023)


Our record at Highbury - 4 wins, 1 Draw

Our record at The Emirates - 7 wins, 5 draws


Our record at Craven Cottage - 10 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats

Our record at Loftus Road (where Fulham played for two seasons whilst Craven Cottage was being renovated) 2 wins


Goals Scored 75

Goals conceded 28

Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Merino
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Saka, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Trossard, Jorginho, Sterling, Gower

Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Diop, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson, Berge, Lukic, Adama, Smith Rowe, Jimenez
Subs: Benda, Bassey, Reed, Muniz, Cairney, Iwobi, Pereira, Willian, Sessegnon

Saka. :bow:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mac76

0-3 ESR hatter

Arteta talking about starting Saka is madness, if he does he's even more dumb than I thought, I just hope it's a bluff

---

Fortunately (as it’s one of few areas where I agree with you) it has turned out to be a bluff


Raya, Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Martinelli, Merino, Nwaneri


Not quite the starting XI I’d have gone with (but not terrible either) Trossard as we know tends to be better impact sub, and I’m hoping we don’t need Saka at all and that when he does come on, it’s just to give him game time so he can reacclamatise

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by McNamara That Ghost...

Saka. :bow:

---

Glad to see him back

Even more Glad that he’s on the bench