EPL Betting Preview: Arsenal vs. Fulham

December 31, 2023

Looking to bounce back from midweek defeats, London rivals Fulham and Arsenal face off at Craven Cottage in their final Premier League game of 2023 on New Year's Eve.

Fulham earned a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates in late-August, with Joao Palhinha rescuing a point for the Cottagers even though defender Calvin Bassey was sent off minutes earlier.

All in all, Arsenal have enjoyed trips to Craven Cottage over the last decade, not losing there since January 2012, with the Gunners aiming to claim a sixth consecutive win at Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

Fulham Betting Preview (+475 at Everygame)

In true Jekyll and Hyde fashion, Fulham claimed spectacular back-to-back 5-0 victories before losing three league games in a row without scoring a single goal ahead of this New Year’s Eve London derby.

Marco Silva's side have collected the vast majority of their points at Craven Cottage (15 of their 21 Premier League points) this term.

They suffered a surprise 2-0 loss to Burnley in their last home game just before Christmas but the West London side achieved an aggregate score of 13-2 in their previous three games at Craven Cottage (against Wolves, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United).

Aside from their penalty-shootout victory against Everton at Goodison Park in the League Cup quarter-finals, The Cottagers have had little to cheer about during the festive period. Marco Silva's men have just suffered their third consecutive Premier League loss without scoring at the hands of Bournemouth, succumbing 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day.

Even more worryingly, Fulham never threatened Neto’s goal here and they need to drastically improve when they welcome title hopefuls Arsenal.

Only Luton Town (12), Sheffield United (15), and Burnley (15), who all sit in the relegation zone, have lost more times at this stage of the Premier League campaign than Fulham, who are now 14^th following Crystal Palace's 3-1 win over Brentford on Saturday.

Yet, The West London side are placed six points clear of the bottom three but they won't want to waste any more opportunities.

Ex-Arsenal winger Willian remains doubtful with a thigh injury, while Tim Ream and Adama Traore both remain sidelined with respective calf and thigh problems.

In a huge boost, however, Raul Jimenez has served his three-game suspension and is expected to replace Rodrigo Muniz up front, joining Alex Iwobi - another ex-Gunner - and Bobby De-Cordova Reid in attack. Jimenez scored three goals in his last three top-flight appearances but the Mexican forward was sent off early in Fulham’s 3-0 loss at Newcastle two weeks ago.

Despite the bad streak, Marco Silva should be reluctant to make wholesale changes to his starting XI, although Harrison Reed could be recalled at the expense of Tom Cairney to start alongside Joao Palhinha in the middle.

Arsenal Betting Preview (-189 at Everygame)

Having won just one of their last four Premier League matches (1-1-2), Arsenal need a result when they travel to face London rivals Fulham on New Year's Eve.

Mikel Arteta's side suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Thursday evening but the Gunners can still end the year on a high. They are now fourth in the table, two points behind joint leaders Liverpool and Aston Villa, and can welcome 2024 on top if they beat Fulham on Sunday.

Of course, Liverpool can easily regain the first place with a positive score against Newcastle on Monday night, but the Gunners will be keen to apply pressure on their rivals .

Kai Havertz served a one-match suspension and the German international is ready to return for Arsenal. Havertz is set to start in central midfield alongside captain Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.

The anticipated reintroduction of Havertz could see either Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard drop down to the substitutes' bench, and the other handed a start on the left flank of attack, alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, the former of whom scored against Fulham in August.

Eddie Nketiah, who also scored against Fulham earlier this season, is also hoping to get more playing minutes, with the England forward yet to score in the Premier League since he bagged a hat-trick against Sheffield United in late-October.

Elsewhere, Jurrien Timber (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf), Thomas Partey (thigh) and Fabio Vieira (groin) all remain sidelined for the Gunners as they continue to recover from injuries.

David Raya should remain in goal as he saved a stoppage-time penalty from Said Benrahma.

Possible Starting Lineups of Fulham and Arsenal

Fulham: Bernd Leno - Timothy Castagne, Tosin Adarabioyo, Calvin Bassey, Antonee Robinson - Joao Palhinha, Harrison Reed - Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Andreas Pereira, Alex Iwobi - Raul Jimenez. (4-2-3-1)

Arsenal: David Raya - Oleksandr Zinchenko. Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Ben White - Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard - Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka. (4-3-3)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Remarkably, Mikel Arteta's side have accumulated 10 fewer points than at this stage of last season - the joint-biggest drop-off in the Premier League along with Sunday's opponents Fulham (also -10) over the last twelve months.

West Ham United have just ended Arsenal's 10-game unbeaten home run in the process, while the Gunners haven't been that great away from the Emirates. They have won only two of their last seven away games in all competitions (2-2-3) and they both were dramatic last-gasp wins at Brentford and Luton Town.

Marco Silva's side, on the other hand, routed both Nottingham Forest and West Ham United 5-0 inside the space of four days earlier in December, but they are now winless and scoreless in three top-flight matches.

The Cottagers have failed to win any of their last 11 meetings (losing 8) with Arsenal and have also lost each of their last seven top-flight home matches against fellow London-based opposition.

Still, we believe it won't be an easy game for Arsenal and Raul Jimenez's comeback could boost Fulham's chances in this London derby.

Spooky Express Free Play: Over 2.5 Goals -125 at Everygame for 7/10 Units

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