MX23RW : Sunday, December 22 19:35:09| >> :120:4740:4740:
[monks data]
Attendance: 59,887
Arsenal logo
Premier League | Gameweek 21
Jan 1, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
Fulham logo

4-1

Xhaka (25'), Lacazette (55'), Ramsey (79'), Aubameyang (83')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Kamara (69')

Preview: Arsenal vs. Fulham - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews the New Year's Day Premier League showdown between Arsenal and Fulham, including predictions, team news and head-to-head record.

Arsenal will be hoping to begin 2019 in better form than they finished 2018 when they welcome Fulham to the Emirates Stadium on New Year's Day.

The Gunners have fallen five points adrift of the Champions League places following their dip in form, whereas Fulham have climbed off the bottom of the table and are now just one point from safety.


Arsenal

Unai Emery goes cray on December 2, 2018© Reuters

Arsenal were dealt a dispiriting dose of deja-vu in their final outing of 2018 as they once again fell to a heavy defeat away to a top-six rival.

Liverpool have not been their favourite opponents in recent seasons, but the nature of their 5-1 drubbing at Anfield will have evoked memories of some of the lowest points of Arsene Wenger's latter years.

It would be unfair to judge Unai Emery's reign solely on the basis of one away game against the country's best team at the moment, but it was another capitulation characterised by some chaotic defending.

Having embarked on a 22-match unbeaten streak after beginning Emery's tenure with back-to-back defeats, Arsenal have now lost three and won one of their last five outings across all competitions to crash out of the EFL Cup and slip five points adrift of fourth place.

The Gunners have not lost back-to-back league games since those opening two under the new boss, though, and they are unbeaten in their last nine league games at the Emirates Stadium, winning seven of those including each of their last three.

Indeed, Manchester City are the only visiting team to have beaten Arsenal in front of their own fans in the league over the past 13 months, and if only home form counted then the Gunners would sit third in the table.

Overall there has been an improvement under Emery - the club now seem to be heading in the right direction whereas during the final years of Wenger's tenure they only seemed to be slipping further away from the top teams - but that progress is yet to really show itself in the stats.

Arsenal are only one point better off than they were at the same stage of last season, and they have exactly the same goal difference too, having scored five more goals but also conceded five more.

It is that defensive stat which may be of greatest concern to Emery right now, with the only Premier League clean sheet in their last 13 matches coming at home to the division's lowest scorers Huddersfield Town.

The top four remains the ultimate goal this season and Arsenal are by no means out of the race heading into the New Year, but an upcoming run of three successive top-flight London derbies - against Fulham, West Ham United and then fourth-placed Chelsea - could prove pivotal to those hopes.

Recent Premier League form: DWLWDL
Recent form (all competitions): WLLWDL


Fulham

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri gives the thumbs up on December 5, 2018© Reuters

Fulham will look back on 2018 fondly having secured promotion back to the Premier League after a four-year absence, but the first half of 2019 will be all about staying in the division.

Improvement is needed to obtain that goal; the Cottagers currently sit 19th in the table having won just three times and picked up 14 points from their opening 20 outings.

The most recent of those wins was a crucial one against fellow strugglers Huddersfield, though, as they ended 2018 with a 1-0 triumph at Craven Cottage which took them to within one point of safety.

It was a result which looked in doubt at one stage after Aboubakar Kamara had infuriated the usually-amiable Claudio Ranieri by rebelling against the penalty-taking order only to miss his spot kick with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Aleksandar Mitrovic - who was meant to take the penalty - came to his side's rescue with a 91st-minute winner, though, as Fulham ended a six-match winless streak and extended their unbeaten run to three games - their longest in the top flight since April 2013.

Another victory over Arsenal would see them pick up back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since April 2014, although they are the only team in the division yet to win away from home this season.

Fulham have picked up just two points from the 30 available on their travels this term, and stretching back to their most recent spell in the Premier League they have now lost 10 and won none of their last 12 top-flight outings on the road.

Indeed, the Cottagers have failed to even score in six of their last eight away league games and are unsurprisingly the lowest scorers on the road this season, while also shipping the most goals on their travels too.

That dismal away record will be next on Ranieri's list of issues to solve, then, having seemingly addressed the number of goals Fulham were conceding in general; the Londoners still have the leakiest defence in the division, but they have conceded just once in their last three games and have kept their first two clean sheets of the season during that time.

Both of those have come against the league's two lowest scorers, though, so doing the same at the Emirates will be a much bigger challenge for Ranieri's men.

Recent Premier League form: DLLDDW


Team News

Mesut Ozil in action for Arsenal on November 3, 2018© Reuters

Mesut Ozil was missing entirely from Arsenal's defeat at Liverpool due to a knee injury, and he is unlikely to recover in time for this match.

Ozil joins fellow attackers Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Danny Welbeck and Emile Smith Rowe on the sidelines, although it is in defence where their main injury concerns continue.

Nacho Monreal has an outside chance of returning for this match, but Hector Bellerin, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding all remain out.

The Gunners were boosted by the return of Shkodran Mustafi at Anfield, although the German only managed 45 minutes before being replaced by Laurent Koscielny.

Fulham will be without a defender of their own as Calum Chambers is ineligible to play against his parent club, while Alfie Mawson is a doubt after being forced off at half time against Huddersfield due to a knee injury.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is also regarded as doubtful after missing the win over the Terriers, while Ryan Sessegnon is pushing for a start after coming off the bench to set up Mitrovic's winner.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Leno; Mustafi, Koscielny, Sokratis; Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Iwobi, Lacazette, Aubameyang

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Rico; Odoi, Ream, Le Marchand; Christie, Anguissa, Seri, Sessegnon; Cairney; Vietto, Mitrovic


Head To Head

Arsenal have won each of the last four meetings between these two sides and are unbeaten in five, including a 5-1 victory at Craven Cottage in October's reverse fixture.

Indeed, Fulham have only ever won eight of the previous 56 editions of this fixture, with Arsenal triumphing 38 times.

Incredibly, Fulham have never won an away game against Arsenal either, with all eight of their wins coming on home soil. Arsenal have won 23 of their previous 28 home games against Fulham, although three of the Cottagers' five draws in that time have come since the Gunners moved to the Emirates Stadium.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Arsenal 2-0 Fulham

Arsenal are not in great form at the moment, but they are always strong at home and Fulham have a miserable record away to their capital rivals. The Cottagers appear to be heading in the right direction under Ranieri, but this may prove a challenge too far for them at this stage.



ID:345580: cacheID:345580:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:12809:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring against Burnley on December 22, 2018
Read Next:
How Arsenal could line up against Liverpool
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Lions
@
Bears
6pm
Browns
@
Bengals
6pm
Patriots
@
Bills
6pm
Titans
@
Colts
6pm
Giants
@
Falcons
6pm
Rams
@
Jets
6pm
Cardinals
@
Panthers
6pm
Eagles
@
Washington
9.05pm
Vikings
@
Seahawks
9.25pm
49ers
@
Dolphins
9.25pm
Jags
@
Raiders
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!