Fulham V Arsenal – Saturday 26th September

 

Fulham V Arsenal

 

Kick-Off: Saturday 26^th September – 17:30 GMT

Venue: Craven Cottage

TV Coverage: ESPN

 

 

 

Fulham

 

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: WLLWL

 

 

Fulham will feel the Europa League is a curse after Fulham suffered their first defeat following directly from a European tie. However, very few of Fulham’s first timers actually travelled to Bulgaria in midweek so the players can have no excuse whatsoever for their weekend slip up away at Wolves. Roy Hodgeson seen his side completely outplayed,outworked and outfought at Molineux, and Fulham got what they deserved in a 2-1 defeat against one of the potential relegation candidates.

 

The normally solid and reliable Fulham were made to look ordinary by an ordinary Wolves outfit. Wolves had previously failed to win in either of their opening two home fixtures so for Fulham to become the first side to fall at Molineux doesn’t bode well for their chances as Arsenal come to town. However, Fulham will be buoyed by the fact they have become a very frustrating team at Craven Cottage, although, Chelsea have already come and gone at the Cottage and taken all three points for their efforts. Will another London rival do the same?

 

Fulham’s biggest attribute is their superb work rate, especially in defence. However, this was missing last Saturday and another performance like that would make them an awful proposition against an Arsenal side with regained optimism after putting four past Wigan at The Emirates last Saturday. If they are to have any ambitions of taking anything out of this game then they will need to work their socks off, especially in defence, as Fulham will spend the vast majority of this game on the back foot.

 

 

 

Arsenal

 

League Position: 7th

Recent Form: WWLLW

 

 

Arsenal put their recent on pitch difficulties and below par performances to one side last Saturday when they gave Wigan a jolly good spanking at The Emirates. Arsene Wenger’s team were starting to come under fire from punters and press alike and, although Wigan were never going to be much competition for the Gunners, Arsenal cruised to a comprehensive victory with a fine team display to back up a convincing win.

 

With their victory over Wigan to one side, as it was an expected result for Arsenal, we now move onto how we think they will fair away at Fulham, a venue they came up short at last season, losing 1-0 at Craven Cottage. Arsene Wenger will be doing his utmost to produce a tactical master-stroke in a bid to avoid a similar scoreline this time around, especially as Arsenal can ill-afford any more slip ups.

 

The victory at home to Wigan put an end to Arsenal’s two match losing run after defeats against both Manchester outfits. However, there are still concerns over Arsenal’s title credentials this season, with their defence being the main catalyst for the criticism. Thomas Vermaelen scored two against Wigan last weekend as he aims to stick two fingers up to those who undermined his defensive abilities while the clean sheet will have done Arsenal’s defensive the world of good in terms of confidence.

 

However, keeping it tight at home and ensuring your defence stays watertight on the road is a different kettle of fish. The Gunners have already played in three away encounters in the league, with Arsenal yet to keep a single away clean sheet. Everton put one past them at the start of the season while Man Utd scored twice and Man City smashed four past the Gunners defence in their most recent away outing. That’s now a tally of seven goals conceded in three away games, an average of over two-a-game.

 

Now, Fulham are hardly a force to be reckoned with in the final third but, if Arsenal’s defence doesn’t buck their ideas up when travelling, Arsenal could find themselves having to fight it out once again just to keep their top four status, let alone actually challenge for the league title. This game away at Fulham does represent a glorious opportunity for Arsenal to record their first away clean sheet of the season but our money certainly won’t be going on it.

 

 

 

Head-to-Head:

 

 

Fulham W: 2 Arsenal W: 8 Draws: 2

 

 

A home victory for Fulham is very rare when these two clash at Craven Cottage but that was the outcome last season when the pair met. Fulham defending stoutly in last seasons clash between the London sides, winning 1-0. That was Fulham’s second win over Arsenal at Craven Cottage in as many season but overall Arsenal have had the upper hand at the Cottage. Arsenal have won in six of the last eight encounters at the Cottage but Fulham are starting to fight back in recent years. However, it’s there for all to see that Arsenal have dominated the head-to-head between the two and they are firm favourites to continue their rich vein of form against their London rivals.

 

 

Over 2.5 Goals: 7 Under 2.5 Goals: 3

 

Thanks to Arsenal’s quality up top, this has been a largely entertaining fixture in recent seasons. Four of the previous five meetings at Craven Cottage have produced three of more goals but, however, a big negative for any goal backer is the fact that Fulham frustrated Arsenal last season, both home and away, beating the Gunners 1-0 at the Cottage and holding Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates.

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Arsenal to WIN – 8/13 SkyBet

 

Arsene Wenger may have failed to get the best out of his troops twice against Fulham last season, but we’re sticking our hard earned pounds on him learning from his harsh lessons and making a mockery of Fulham’s success in this meeting last season. The Gunners recent success at home to Wigan, a game which seen them score four goals, should provide the Arsenal squad with a big boost in confidence and enable them to stride towards their second victory in relatively quick succession.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

 

Fulham – 5/1 PaddyPower

 

Arsenal – 8/13 SkyBet

 

DRAW – 14/5 Bet365

 

 

 

SoccerBetting Tip: Arsenal (Half-Time/ Full-Time) – 6/4 PaddyPower