- Fulham vs Arsenal will kick off on Sunday at 1700EAT.
- Arsenal are in second place on 40 points.
- Fulham occupy 13th spot on 21 points.
Arsenal will be seeking to end the year in strong fashion when they visit Fulham in a tricky London derby on Sunday, December 31.
The Mikel Arteta coached side go into the match on the back of a 0-2 humiliation in the hands of West Ham on Thursday night – the first defeat at the Emirates Stadium this season.
Arsenal old boy Dinos Mavropanos and Tomas Soucek were on the score sheet for the Hammers in that thrilling game where David Moyes secured his first Emirates win.
Despite playing amazing football and having 30 shots on target, the Gunners could not penetrate a solid West Ham defense, something that Arteta would want to rectify before the important trip to Craven Cottage.
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Arsenal, who are among the favorites to lift the title this season, currently sit second in the table standings with 40 points, two behind leaders Liverpool FC.
On the other hand, Fulham who are ranked 13th with 21 points have struggled in front of goal in their recent games, failing to find the back of the net in their last three league matches.
The Cottagers were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in their last league fixture played on the Boxing Day. Prior to that demolition, they had lost 0-2 and 3-0 to Burnley and Newcastle United respectively.
Here is everything you need to know concerning the upcoming clash. Click this link to place your bet on the game and remember you can get up to 1000% SportPesa bonus on your multi bet of up to 50 games.
What time does Fulham vs Arsenal start?
The match is expected to kick off exactly at 5PM Kenyan time on Sunday at Craven Cottage.
Fulham vs Arsenal Team News
Arsenal summer signing Kai Havertz is set to return to the starting eleven after missing the West Ham game due to suspension.
However, Arteta will miss the services of Portuguese midfielder Fabio Viera and Jurrien Timber who are nursing knee and groin injuries respectively. In addition, it is not crystal clear whether Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu will return to the squad.
With Gabriel Martinelli registering under par performances recently, Arteta may go with the forward trio of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. David Raya is expected to start between the goal posts having saved a penalty on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Fulham go into Sunday’s game with a number of key absentees including shot stopper Steven-Andreas Benda and Tyrese Francois.
Marco Silva is also expected to be without former Arsenal winger Willian Borges da Silva, Adama Traore and Tim Ream who are all recovering from injuries.
Possible Starting Lineups
Fulham: Leno, Robinson, Bassey, Adarabioyo, Tete, Cairney, Palhinha, Armani, Iwobi, Pereira, Muniz
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus
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Fulham vs Arsenal Head-to-head
Fulham and Arsenal have played each other 20 times since 2008 in all competitions with the Gunners registering 12 victories while six of those matches ended in a draw.
In the recent five matches, Arsenal registered three victories with the rest ending in a draw. The last match between the two London rivals which was staged at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, August 26 ended 2 – 2.
Fulham: 2
Draws: 6
Arsenal: 12
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Fulham vs Arsenal Current Form
Fulham: WLDLL
Arsenal: LDWDL
Fulham vs Arsenal Prediction
Although Fulham have the home advantage, Arsenal will do anything to win the crucial match and keep their title hopes alive.
Records also make the Gunners favorites going into Sunday’s game considering they have only lost two final games of the year in their last sixteen.
Moreover, the Cottagers have had a poor defensive record in their recent games and thus the deadly Arsenal attack would be too hot for them to handle. Therefore, football fans should expect a thrilling game with a couple of goals.
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