Match Preview
Arsenal vrs Fulham
Premier League Match Day 03 23/24 at Emirates Stadium
Saturday 26th August 2023 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
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Fulham head off to Arsenal on Saturday for their second London Derby.
The two sides posted differing results in their most recent capital clashes, as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 1-0 while the Cottagers went down 3-0 at home to Brentford.
Fulham's recent displays in front of goal have not embodied that of a side capable of giving the Gunners a good run for their money.
Now that the protracted and unwelcome Aleksandar Mitrovic transfer saga has finally come to a close with the Serbian's big-money move to Al-Hilal, Fulham boss Marco Silva is busy drawing up plans for life after the talismanic marksman, which has not got off to the best of starts.
Following a smash-and-grab win at Everton's headquarters - which could have very easily gone the Toffees' way on another day - Silva's side were subjected to a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Brentford, as a Bryan Mbeumo brace and Yoane Wissa strike did the damage at Craven Cottage, where Tim Ream was also made to take the walk of shame.
With summer signing Raul Jimenez doing little to show that he can fill Mitrovic's boots during his earliest days with the Cottagers, this week's shot-shy visitors are languishing in an unlucky 13th place in the table ahead of their trip to the Emirates, where many will expect their recent sequence of away results to continue.
Indeed, Fulham have followed a loss-win-loss-win pattern on their travels since the start of May, and only two of their away fixtures in the 2022-23 Premier League campaign ended level - the most recent being a goalless stalemate with Chelsea in early February.
The Fulham faithful would likely accept a 0-0 at the Emirates if it was offered to them before kickoff, but the Cottagers fell to a 2-1 loss in this fixture in August 2022 before a 3-0 beating at Craven Cottage, where a Leandro Trossard playmaking masterclass helped extend Arsenal's unbeaten streak against their visitors to 10 matches.
As was the case in the second half of their opening Premier League encounter with Nottingham Forest, Arsenal struggled to click into gear against a well-drilled Palace defence and had their backs against the wall for the final few moments on Monday night, where Takehiro Tomiyasu's contentious red card hardly helped matters.
A composed Martin Odegaard penalty propelled Arsenal into the lead before Tomiyasu picked up two questionable bookings in the space of seven minutes - sparking plenty of post-game debate - but the Gunners' penchant for London derbies came to the fore as they maintained their perfect start to the new term.
As one of only three teams to open the 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a pair of victories, Arsenal are sitting pretty on a podium spot in the fledgling standings, currently perched in third place behind champions Manchester City and early pace-setters Brighton & Hove Albion.
Victory at Selhurst Park saw Arsenal end a four-game losing streak on Monday nights under Arteta, who also masterminded the Gunners' 200th Premier League clean sheet on the road - only Manchester United (205) and Chelsea (204) have more - but their defensive deficiencies at home are no secret.
Indeed, Arteta's men have just one shut-out to show from their last eight Premier League contests in front of the Emirates faithful
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Fulham have never won an away match against Arsenal in any competition (D6, L25), including all 30 league fixtures. It's the most one team has faced another away from home without winning in English league history.
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The Cottagers are winless in their last 10 Premier League games against Arsenal (D2, L8) and have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their past 16 games against the Gunners.
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Fulham could win their opening two top-flight away games for the first time in what is their 29th season in the top tier.
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The Cottagers have won just once in their past 19 top-flight London derbies (D4, L14).
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Marco Silva's side took one point from a possible 30 in their 10 games against sides that finished in the top five last season, losing all five away matches by a single-goal margin.
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Raul Jimenez has not scored in any of his last 25 Premier League games.
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Arsenal have won both of their opening two Premier League matches for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
They are unbeaten in each of their last 13 Premier League London derbies (W11, D2).
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The Emirates Stadium has seen 81 Premier League goals at an average of 4.05 per game since the start of last season, more than at any other venue.
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Brazilian defender Gabriel has scored in three of his four Premier League appearances against Fulham, including a late winner in this fixture last season.
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Leandro Trossard has registered 10 assists since his Arsenal debut in January, more than any other Premier League player in that time. Three of those came against Fulham in March.
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Bukayo Saka could set a new club record by playing in his 83rd consecutive Premier League match.
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Eddie Nketiah has scored 14 goals in his last 16 starts at Emirates Stadium in all competitions.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole