After the opening day debacle, Arsenal got their season back on track with a much needed victory against Fenerbahce in Istanbul.
With matches already coming thick and fast, Arsenal have a chance to get their league season up and running against a Fulham side that secured a rare if unconvincing victory away at Sunderland on the opening day of the season.
Squad and injury news
The past few weeks have seen several injury scares bringing thousands of Arsenal into a state of panic.
Some of the injuries have not been as serious as first feared, and only Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby are out for the foreseeable future.
Jack Wilshere received a knock against Fenerbahce but should feature in tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off.
Laurent Koscielny, suspended after receiving two yellow cards against Aston Villa on the opening day, could be back as soon as the return leg against Fenerbahce on Wednesday after receiving a boot to the face against the Turkish side.
Nacho Monreal’s midweek cameo against has boosted Arsenal’s defensive options, which received further good news when Arsene Wenger confirmed that Thomas Vermaelen is “out running”.
Injuries and suspensions nevertheless leave Arsenal’s defence depleted for the first derby of the season.
Bacary Sagna however has stated that he is willing to fill in at centre-back for the team, “I enjoy playing centre-half and will play in any position for my team”. The French international has excelled in the middle in the past, notably away against Sunderland last season, so deploying him in the middle with Per Mertesacker should not hinder the team.
Predicted line-up
Arsenal are likely to start with a similar lineup to the side that easily swept past a poor Fenerbahce on Wednesday:
Szczesny; Jenkinson, Sagna, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Ramsey, Wilshere, Rosicky; Walcott, Giroud, Cazorla.
Players to watch
Aaron Ramsey was undoubtedly man of the match on Wednesday night. His work rate was phenomenal and his vision was sublime, notably a perfect through-ball to Theo Walcott for the opening goal. The icing on the cake was a well taken goal from 20 yards.
It will be interesting to see whether he can build on the confidence boosting performance against a Fulham side that could see Scott Parker make his debut.
Arsenal will have to be wary of Adel Taraabt and Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov has a good record against Arsenal, scoring twice at the Emirates last season in a thrilling 3-3 draw, whilst Taraabt has the ability to tear open any defence, though he rarely performs in big games.
With Arsenal’s shaky rearguard, and Fulham’s attacking flair, it is unlikely to be a repeat of last season’s tie at Craven Cottage, when Arsenal’s came away with a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
Whilst Fulham are a tough side to beat, especially at the Cottage, which has one of the smallest pitches in the Premier League and is thus not conducive to Arsenal’s style of play, Arsenal should be strong enough to overcome Martin Jol’s side, who are likely to be without their main summer signing, Dutch international Maarten Stekelenburg.
No game in August is ever a must win. The season lasts until May and, as we have seen in recent seasons, Arsenal usually finish strongly. A win however is undoubtedly necessary to boost our campaign.
Three points would see us beat our August totals of the past two seasons and give confidence ahead of the first big game of the season, the North London Derby next weekend.
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