The early weeks of the Premier League season have been anything but smooth for Arsenal, but true contenders must secure victories even when not at their best.
Mikel Arteta's team has exemplified this principle in their matches against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, emerging victorious and joining Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City with a perfect record. The upcoming challenge for Arteta's side is a London derby against Fulham.
The recent 1-0 win against Crystal Palace demonstrated Arsenal's resilience, where even after Takehiro Tomiyasu's red card, they held their ground with Martin Ødegaard's penalty making the difference. Arsenal's unique ability to win more games (36) than they have lost (34) with a player sent off sets them apart in Premier League history, highlighting their tenacity that could prove pivotal in challenging Manchester City this season.
As they face Fulham this Saturday, fans anticipate a more fluid rendition of Arteta's squad. The Emirates Stadium has been a stage for 81 Premier League goals since the last season's commencement (55 for Arsenal, 26 against), boasting the highest goals-per-game ratio across all top-flight venues in that period (4.05).
The recovery of Gabriel Jesus from his recent injury will add to Arsenal other sources of attacking creativity. Leandro Trossard, with three assists in Arsenal's previous encounter with Fulham, might be called upon. His remarkable average of an assist every 95 minutes in the 2023 Premier League season represents a record-breaking ratio for a single calendar year among players with at least 500 minutes of playtime. In defense, Arsenal faces the absence of the suspended Tomiyasu and the injured Jurriën Timber, yet Gabriel Magalhães' potential inclusion holds promise. He has netted in three of his four Premier League matches against Fulham, including a late winner in last August's fixture.
Historically, Fulham has struggled in London derbies, losing five of their last seven top-flight meetings with capital clubs. A recent 3-0 defeat to Brentford has left Marco Silva's side with three points from two games.
Fulham faces challenges as they approach kick-off, with Tim Ream suspended due to bookings against Brentford and their leading goalscorer, Aleksandar Mitrovic, departing for Al Hilal. Former Arsenal player Willian aims to fill the void, potentially becoming the oldest ex-Arsenal player to score against his former club in the Premier League at the age of 35 years and 17 days.
Interestingly, Arsenal has never lost a home league match to Fulham, boasting an unbeaten record of 24 wins and six draws in 30 encounters. This achievement stands as the best unbeaten home record against a specific opponent in English league history.
Fulham's struggles against Arsenal extend beyond home turf, failing to win any of their last 10 Premier League meetings and lacking a clean sheet in their last 16 encounters.
The last showdown in March showcased Arsenal's attacking prowess, with Trossard contributing to goals for Gabriel, Ødegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli in a decisive 3-0 win. Fulham's most recent Premier League victory over Arsenal dates back to 2012, underscoring the challenge they face.
In addition to staying on par with Brighton and Manchester City at the league's early stages, Arsenal's triumph over Palace extended their unbeaten streak in Premier League London derbies to 13 games, boasting 11 wins and two draws.
Anticipation grows as Arsenal faces a 3 pm Saturday kick-off, a time when they've lost just one of their last 34 home Premier League games, winning 27 and drawing six. Last season saw them win three of their four such fixtures and draw the other against Brentford.
Fulham's struggles in London away matches continue, with only one victory in their last 19 top-flight games against fellow capital clubs, featuring four draws and 14 defeats. A standout victory was a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Boxing Day of the previous year.
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