Preview: Arsenal v. Fulham

Vito Mannone: Kicking Ass, Taking Names. Pic via Guardian.

Emirates Stadium, London

Sunday, May 9

16:00 BST, 11:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Mike Jones
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 0 - 0 Fulham
• All-Tim, in All Competitions: 32 Arsenal wins, 7 Fulham wins, 7 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: D-W-L-L-D-L
• Fulham's Recent Form W-D-D-L-W-L

Predicted Line-Up

Fabianski

Sagna - Campbell - Silvestre - Clichy

Eboue - Nasri - Diaby

Walcott - Van Persie - Arshavin

Subs from: Mannone, Djourou, Gibbs, Eastmond, Eduardo, Vela, Henderson

Out: Rosicky (ankle), Song (knee), Bendtner (groin), Almunia (wrist), Denilson (groin), Vermaelen (calf), Fabregas (leg), Gallas (calf), Ramsey (leg)

Arsenal News and Notes

• The depth of Arsenal's injury woes got even more bewildering on Monday when four players dropped out of the line-up with injuries. Gael Clichy is the only potential return, he missed the trip to Blackburn with an ankle problem.
• If Clichy cannot play, I expect Armand Traore will get the start. I don't think Kieran Gibbs is fit enough to start, having only made a surprise return to the bench Monday.
• Tomas Rosicky, Alex Song, and Nicklas Bendtner, all unavailable on Monday, will be unavailable for this fixture as well.
• Andrei Arshavin has fully recovered from his calf injury and is expected to start.
• Arsenal have picked up five out of a possible 18 points in their last six league fixtures.
• The last time Arsenal picked up only five points over a six match stretch in the league: October 28 - November 29, 2006, which included a win over Liverpool, draws with Everton and Newcastle, and losses to West Ham, Bolton, and Fulham.
• Across all competitions, Arsenal have one once in their last eight games, and that even took 93 minutes against Wolves. They have drawn three and lost four in the same stretch.

Fulham News and Notes

• This is Fulham's 62nd game of the season, which is an obscenely high number.
• Fulham will play Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
• As such, it would not be surprising to see the Cottagers field a weakened side for this match.
• Top class striker Bobby Zamora has an Achilles injury and is questionable not just for Sunday, but for the Europa League final as well. He's been called "touch and go" for Wednesday.
• Fresh injury concerns hit Fulham this week as well, as captain Damien Duff left this week's 1-0 loss to Stoke with a leg injury.
• Andrew Johnson has been out long term with a serious knee injury.
• Fulham's impressive European run has come at the expense of their domestic league form. They have won once in their last five fixtures, a 3-2 win at Upton Park. They've drawn against Liverpool and Wolves in that period as well.
• Fulham have not won a league fixture away from Craven Cottage since the opening day of the season, at Fratton Park against Portsmouth. They have drawn seven away fixtures. Good news for Arsenal, who essentially need just a point to secure third, provided Tottenham doesn't beat Burnley by 11 goals.

Match Facts

• Arsenal defeated Fulham in the reverse fixture, 1-0 at Craven Cottage in late September. Vito Mannone kept a clean sheet and was Man of the Match. Robin van Persie netted the only goal in the 52nd minute.
• This fixture last season was a scoreless draw.
• Fulham have never won at Arsenal in 23 tries. The Gunners have won 20 times when the Cottagers visit North London (19 league, 1 FA Cup); Fulham have managed a draw three times.
• The referee is Mike Jones. He has worked only one Arsenal match this year, a 4-0 win over Wigan in September. For Fulham, he refereed a 1-1 draw at Burnley and a 3-0 loss at Old Trafford.

Around the League
All matches are Sunday at 16:00 BST, 11:00 a.m. EDT.

• Chelsea v. Wigan Athletic; Stamford Bridge, London
• Manchester United v. Stoke City; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Burnley v. Tottenham Hotspur; Turf Moor, Burnley
• West Ham United v. Manchester City; Boleyn Ground at Upton Park, London
• Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers; Villa Park, Birmingham
• Hull City v. Liverpool; KC Stadium, Kingston-upon-Hull
• Everton v. Portsmouth; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Bolton Wanderers v. Birmingham City; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Sunderland; Molineux, Wolverhampton