At a Glance:
- Arsenal take on Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday evening.
- The Gunners can extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six point with a win.
- Here’s how Mikel Arteta might set his team up against the Cottagers.
Arsenal host Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, looking to put daylight between themselves and Manchester City in the title race.
The Gunners can move six points clear of City with a victory over the Cottagers, 48 hours before Pep Guardiola’s men travel to Merseyside to face Everton under the lights at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. This ability to create a gap at the top before such a difficult fixture for their rivals should motivate Mikel Arteta’s side heading into their own encounter.
The Spaniard’s team emerged from Madrid with their Champions League semi-final in the balance on Wednesday night, after being held by a resolute Atletico side. Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty was cancelled out by Julian Alvarez’s second-half spot-kick, meaning next week’s second leg at the Emirates will be a straight shootout for a place in the final.
Arteta and his players have to divert their attention back towards domestic action and the intense title race they’re embroiled in. A spirited Fulham side who are still in the race for a European spot travel to N5, and the Gunners will have to be at their best to come out victorious.
While Arsenal may be without Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber for this clash, Fulham have their own injury issues to contend with. Alex Iwobi won’t be available, while Ryan Sessegnon and Kevin are also set to miss out.
This should prove to be a somewhat routine win for the North Londoners.
- READ MORE: Paul Merson makes huge claim about Premier League title race with Arsenal vs Fulham prediction
| Date | Result | Competition |
| 18/10/2025 | Fulham 0-1 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 01/04/2025 | Arsenal 2-1 Fulham | Premier League |
| 08/12/2024 | Fulham 1-1 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 31/12/2023 | Fulham 2-1 Arsenal | Premier League |
| 26/08/2023 | Arsenal 2-2 Fulham | Premier League |
| 12/03/2023 | Fulham 0-3 Arsenal | Premier League |
Arsenal team news vs Fulham, Kai Havertz injury update
Just as it seemed as though Arsenal’s squad was rounding into good health, the Gunners now have a number of injury concerns to contend with.
Martin Odegaard was taken off 12 minutes into the second half at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday night. The Norwegian has endured a stop-start season for fitness reasons, and he may have suffered yet another setback.
According to Simon Collings of the Sun, Odegaard is set to be assessed ahead of the Fulham clash, with his chances of being available in the balance.
Elsewhere, Kai Havertz missed the trip to the Spanish capital after going down injured against Newcastle last weekend. Similarly to Odegaard, the German hasn’t been able to get an extended run in the team together this season due to persistent niggles.
It’s believed that the Fulham game will come too soon for Havertz, with a return not expected for at least another ten days or so. Meanwhile, long-term absentees Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino remain unavailable.
Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Fulham
Arteta kept Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze in reserve on Wednesday, and it’s likely that both could return to the starting eleven for the clash with Fulham. These could be the only changes, with the Gunners boss probably eager to keep the starting eleven relatively consistent at this crunch point in the season.
David Raya will start in goal, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes manning the fort in front of him. Ben White will likely retain his place at right-back despite his recent struggles, particularly given Fulham will adopt a conservative approach, and thus, the Englishman’s value in possession will be useful.
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | GD |
| 1 | Arsenal | 73 | 34 | +38 |
| 2 | Man City | 70 | 33 | +37 |
Piero Hincapie will retain his place at left-back, while Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi will start in midfield once again. If Odegaard is fit, he’ll start in the middle of the park, with Eze shifting out to the left.
If the Arsenal captain isn’t available, Eze will be deployed centrally, and one of Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard will start on the left. Saka could come in on the right, while Gyokeres will keep his place down the middle.
Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Fulham: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Arsenal vs Fulham Prediction
It’s possible Fulham end the weekend in sixth, meaning Marco Silva’s team certainly have something to fight for. While they’re outsiders in the race for Europe, the mere hope of qualifying will fire them up.
That said, barring their narrow victory over a tuned-out Aston Villa side last week, the West Londoners haven’t been performing particularly well of late. Prior to this win over Unai Emery’s team, they’d won just one of their last six matches across all competitions – a 3-1 victory over Burnley.
This, this should be a relatively comfortable win for Arsenal, although they certainly won’t make things easy.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Fulham
