Arsenal welcome Fulham to the Emirates as the visitors seek to avoid relegation

Arsenal play host on Sunday afternoon when they welcome Scott Parker’s struggling Fulham side to the Emirates in a fixture that could prove pivotal for the Cottagers’ survival bid.

The Gunners have the opportunity to make it three wins in a row and continue their momentum heading into the business end of the season, when relegation stricken Fulham make the short trip across London at the weekend.

Mikel Arteta’s men currently sit in ninth place, seven points adrift from the last Europa League spot, but can revive their seasons ambitions with three points against a Fulham side that have lost their last four league games in a row.

Arsenal head into the clash having produced one of their finest performances of the Arteta era, having clinically dispatched of Slavia Prague 4-0 in the Europa League last time out, a result that sees them face off against former manager Unai Emery and Villarreal in the semi-finals. It was also the first time they have scored at least three goals in four consecutive away games since December 1932 and indicates that they have turned a corner in what’s been an inconsistent campaign thus far.

Speaking after the match, Arteta was clearly delighted with nature of his sides showing at the Sinobo Stadium:

“I’m really happy. We came to a tough place and this team hasn’t lost at home in almost two years. To do what we did tonight is credit to the players for how they approached the game and how brave they were in our approach.

“Then I think when we demanded the efficiency, today is an example of the level of efficiency you need to win matches away from home in Europe like this.”

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Qualification into Europe for next season is still possible through the league for Arsenal, especially if they are able to put a run together, however it looks increasingly more likely that Arteta will put all his eggs into winning the Europa League.

They find themselves just two games away from the final and will fancy their chances against a Villarreal side that have endured some similar issues in terms of consistency. Emery’s team currently sit 7th in La Liga and look set to miss out on European football all together next year if they are unable to get past Arsenal in the next round, which only emphasises the importance of when the two teams meet in a couple of weeks time.

Fulham’s poor recent run of form has seriously damaged their chances of staying in the division, with consecutive losses coming at the hands of Manchester City, Leeds, Aston Villa and Wolves all but confirming their fate. If they have any hopes of avoiding the drop they need to come away with at least a point, as they sit six points from Newcastle in 17th, with six games remaining.

Their final stretch of fixtures doesn’t get any easier either, with games against Chelsea and Manchester United to come, meaning they would have to pull off a miracle in order to not be playing Championship football next season.

Despite Fulham’s poor head to head record with the Gunners, not all hope is lost with this fixture as the hosts have failed to win back-to-back league games since January, while also suffering their most home league defeats since 1929-30. If they are to travel to the Emirates and produce an upset, they will need to use this to their advantage, and test Arsenal from the first whistle.

One major concern will be the fitness of star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as it was revealed earlier in the week, that the 31-year-old had contracted malaria while on international duty with Gabon. Arteta provided an update on the situation in his latest press conference, but was unable to put a timescale on his return:

“We just spoke with him. He’s at home, he’s fine, he’s completely fine at the moment. He had two days in hospital to get the right treatment but he’s feeling good now,” he said. “We’ll see how he recovers. I think he’ll need a few days to recover from that. He wants to be back as soon as possible, that’s what he said to me.”

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The Spaniard’s injury woes doesn’t stop there with the likes of Kieran Tierney and David Luiz likely to miss the majority of the campaign due to knee injuries. Another player struggling for fitness is Martin Ødegaard, as he picked up an ankle sprain while representing Norway, which ruled him out of their last two games.

Parker also has some key absentees as Ademola Lookman was missing from their 1-0 defeat against Wolves last time out and is set for some time on the sidelines with a macular problem. Central midfielder Tom Cairney and centre-back Alfie Mawson remain the only two long-term doubts, as they both look to recover from serious knee in time for the next campaign.

So will Arsenal continue to build momentum heading into the latter stages of the season or will Fulham boost their hopes of survival by claiming all three points at the Emirates?

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