Arsenal vs Fulham

Emirates Stadium is the venue as Arsenal and Fulham go head-to-head in an all-London Premier League match-up.

Arsenal entered the international break in high spirits after beating Chelsea 1-0 on home turf to halt a dismal three-game winless league run (D2, L1). However, they’ll likely have to wait another year to end a 20-year title drought in the Premier League, with runaway leaders Liverpool already 12 points away. Therefore, Mikel Arteta’s charges must rely on Liverpool’s collapse. Eager to hold up their end of the bargain, Arsenal can take confidence from their incredible 31-game unbeaten run in home league matches against upcoming rivals Fulham (W24, D7). Furthermore, they’ve won all seven Premier League games on April 1st, suggesting they’re perfectly positioned to end a three-game winless H2H run (D2, L1), bookended by a 1-1 draw in December’s reverse fixture. 

Meanwhile, Fulham’s morale took a hit last weekend as a 3-0 home loss to Crystal Palace marked the end of their FA Cup run in the quarter-finals. Manager Marco Silva must quickly rally his troops, with the Cottagers seeking their first European finish since 2010/11 after a 2-0 home win against Tottenham last time out fired them within a two-point distance of sixth-placed Newcastle. However, consistency has hindered Fulham’s lofty ambitions, with the visitors alternating between winning (3) and losing (2) across their last five league outings. Indeed, they’ve won back-to-back matches in the Premier League only once since November. Yet, they had won three consecutive away league games before a 2-1 defeat at Brighton last time out.