Arsenal have made the perfect start to their 2023/24 Premier League campaign and after two matches, the Gunners are third on the table with six points.
The Gunners beat Palace 1-0 on Monday despite going down to 10 men and their next game will be another London Derby against Fulham on Saturday.
Arsenal’s win on Monday was a tightly-fought affair and the game against Fulham will be no different. The North London side will be the favourites to win this weekend and in all their previous meetings against Fulham, Arsenal have lost just one match and that was way back in 2012.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
Ramsdale started in goal in the 1-0 win over the Eagles but Arsenal have brought in David Raya and we think the new keeper will get a start on Saturday. Signing a second top-keeper has been met with immense criticism from the pundits but Arteta believes that even the No 1 position in his squad will have to be contested for.
Tomiyasu picked up a red card against Palace on Monday so he will be absent. Jurrien Timber has undergone surgery for his ligament damage and as per the reports, he will be out for around six months. Timber’s injury is a major blow for Mikel Arteta which is why Arsenal are now out in the market looking for a short-term replacement.
On Monday, Thomas Partey played as the right-back but this weekend, Ben White will move into that role, allowing the familiar pairing of Saliba and Gabriel to come into central defence.
The Arsenal manager made a few reshuffles to his starting line up for the Palace game but this weekend, he should revert to his usual first XI.
Kai Havertz played in midfield on Monday but for the Fulham game, the summer signing will return to the centre-forward’s role. Gabriel Jesus remains sidelined due to a knee injury so Havertz will lead the line with Nketiah as the backup.
Thomas Partey will come back into central midfield alongside Declan Rice and Odegaard which means Jorginho will once again have to be content with a place on the bench.
Jesus and Timber are the only two big-name players who will be missing this weekend. Apart from them, the likes of Lokonga, Elneny and Balogun are also injured but their injuries won’t be a cause of concern for the Arsenal manager.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Fulham:
Predicted Starting line up(4-3-3): Raya/Ramsdale; Saliba, Gabriel, Ben White, Zinchenko; Partey, Declan Rice, Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
