Arsenal travel across London to face a Fulham side dreaming of European qualification, as the Gunners look to strengthen their grip on the top spot.
Last time out for Fulham, they were beaten 3-2 by fellow European hopefuls and West London rivals Brentford, in a blow to their European hopes.
On the other hand, the North London side enjoyed a late Reiss Nelson winner as Arsenal came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-2 in a crucial win in their quest for their first Premier League title since 2004.
This has not been an enjoyable fixture for Fulham in the last ten years. They are without a win against Arsenal in nine meetings, with their last win a 2-1 victory in 2012. Since then, they have lost all four games against Arsenal at Craven Cottage.
But their home form has been good this season, losing only three all season and they are unbeaten in their last four home matches.
Arsenal have been ruthless away to London teams this season, winning all four of their games so far by an aggregate margin of 8-0. No London team has ever won five in a row and kept a clean sheet in all of them.
Team News
Joao Palhinha is serving the second game of a two-match suspension for accumulating ten yellow cards since the start of the season. This is a blow to Fulham who did not look like the same side without him against Brentford, with the Portuguese midfielder quickly becoming one of the signings of the season.
Fulham will also be without club captain Tom Cairney as he recovers from an ankle injury, with the Scottish midfielder set for a return to training next week.
Neeskens Kebano and Layvin Kurzawa will also miss the game against Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta is missing a couple of players across his frontline with Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard picking up knocks, putting question marks on their availability for Sunday’s match.
Striker Gabriel Jesus is nearing a return to the squad, with the Brazilian recovering from an ankle injury that has ruled him out since early December.
Left-back Kieran Tierney will also not be fit to face Fulham after coming down with a virus this week.
Likely Line-ups
Leno; Tete, Ream, Diop, Robinson; Lukic, Reed; Reid, Andreas, Willian; Mitrovic.
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli, Nelson.
Key Players
Harrison Reed (Fulham)
Without his midfield partner, Reed will have to take some on some of the burdens of his defensive work to stop Arsenal’s attacks.
The key to Fulham winning this game is by preventing Martin Odegaard from getting on the ball and creating chances for the front three - Reed and Lukic will have to stop him.
Palhinha will be a massive loss to Fulham in this game, where they will likely endure large spells without the ball. So, they will miss the tackles and interceptions that the Portuguese international brings to the team.
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
The Brazilian winger is having an outstanding season after suffering from an injury most of last season.
Martinelli is Arsenal’s top scorer with 11 goals and seems to have been spurred on by the competition from the January signing of Trossard.
The 21-year-old is expected to play through the middle again in the absence of fellow Brazilian Jesus and Nketiah.
Match Details
Where will the match be played?
The match will be played at Craven Cottage in West London.
When will the match be played?
The match will be played at 2pm on Sunday, March 11th, 2023.
How can you watch the match?
In the UK, the match will be live to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with coverage starting at 1pm. Highlights will be available to watch after the final whistle across all Sky Sports digital platforms.