Match Preview
Fulham versus Arsenal
Premier League: 2020/2021 Match Day 01 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 12th September 2020 KO: 12:30
Referee:
Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire)
Live on BT Sports
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Fulham get the 2020-21 Premier League campaign underway at home to London rivals Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
Fulham Head Copach Scott Parker achieved his mission of guiding the club back into the Premier League at the first attempt, although they had to do it the hard way by going through the playoffs.
A 2-1 win over bitter rivals Brentford on August 4 sealed a spot in the top division and Parker will now get his first proper shot at keeping Fulham in the division.
The Cottagers have played just one friendly since then, drawing 2-2 with MK Dons at the end of last month, despite Parker fielding a strong XI in the behind-closed-doors clash.
Arsenal also played the Dons and were far more comfortable, running out 4-1 winners in one of just two close-season outings for Arteta's charges.
As far as opening league fixtures go, this is one Arsenal supporters will surely be happy with given results between the sides down the years.
The Gunners have won each of their last five Premier League games against Fulham, scoring nine goals in their two wins the last time the West Londoners were in the top division.
Indeed, Arsenal have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches against Fulham (W8 D4), going down 2-1 at Craven Cottage in January 2012.
The Gunners ended last season on a high after lifting the FA Cup, while Fulham also bring momentum into the new campaign following their promotion from the Championship.
The 2019-20 season will ultimately go down as a successful one for the Gunners thanks to that triumph, but a lot more is expected of them in the Premier League this time around.
Last term's eighth-placed finish was Arsenal's lowest since 1995, not helped by a return of four wins in their opening 13 fixtures, which they ultimately failed to recover from.
Arteta took over from Unai Emery midway through the season and, while results were largely mixed, the former Manchester City coach did not take long to make his mark on the field.
Arsenal played some impressive football at times and have carried that into this season, having already defeated champions Liverpool on pens in the Community Shield two weeks ago.
That may be little more than a glorified friendly to many, but it showed once again that the Gunners are now capable of holding their own against the division's top sides.
That is not exactly a category opponents Fulham fit into, of course, with the Cottagers preparing for their first season back in the top flight after a one-year absence.
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Fulham have lost their past five Premier League matches against Arsenal.
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They conceded nine goals in the two meetings during their most recent top-flight campaign in 2018-19.
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Arsenal's only defeat in the past 13 Premier League meetings was 2-1 at Craven Cottage in January 2012.
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The two sides have met once before on the opening day of a top-flight season, with the Gunners coming from behind to win 2-1 in 2007.
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The Championship play-off winners have avoided relegation in only 12 of the previous 28 Premier League seasons.
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Fulham finished 19th and were relegated in each of their last two Premier League seasons, in 2013-14 and 2018-19. They conceded the most goals in both of those campaigns.
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They have lost their opening game in successive seasons: 2-0 to Crystal Palace in 2018-19 and 1-0 against Barnsley last year.
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The Cottagers are currently on a top-flight record run of 10 successive London derby defeats.
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Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 49 goals since making his Fulham debut in February 2018. Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (54), Mo Salah (54) and Jamie Vardy (50) have scored more often in England's top four divisions during that period.
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Mitrovic scored five goals in Fulham's opening six Premier League matches of 2018-19, but managed just six in the following 31 games.
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Arsenal are aiming to win their opening match in consecutive seasons for the first time in 11 years.
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The Gunners are undefeated in all four of their previous opening Premier League matches versus newly-promoted opposition (W3, D1). Their last opening day league defeat against a promoted side was a 1-0 loss at Highbury to Bristol City in 1976.
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They have not lost any of their last 24 matches in the month of September in all competitions (W19, D5) since a 3-2 home defeat by Olympiakos in the Champions League in 2015.
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Arsenal have already won two trophies in their 29 matches under Mikel Arteta: the FA Cup and Community Shield.
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They scored 56 Premier League goals last season, their lowest total since 1995-96.
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 54 goals in 85 Premier League appearances since his debut in February 2018, a joint-league high during that period with Mo Salah.