Key events
Of course, that is not the size with Arsenal. They are now without Gabriel and Benjamín White, news that will not have escaped Marco Silva. In midweek, the fact that Manchester United did not target Zinchenko, who is not the best defender in the world, was extremely strange, but it seems inconceivable that any of the Iwobi and Traoré who plays on the left would not be given the order to go after Partey, no kind of right. -back. And Jimenez is also likely to target Kiwior, with Lukic brought in to bolster the midfield, partly because of Arsneal's attacking prowess, but partly to allow his decisive players the freedom to play.
For Arsenal, They are without the injured Zinchenko, so Thomas Partey moves to the side with Jorginho in midfield, while in attack it is Leandro Trossard, not Gabriel Martinelli.
Marco Silva makes four changes from the team that beat Brighton. Castagne, Wilson and Muniz leave, who are on the bench, Kenny Tete, Sasa lukic and Raúl Jiménez enter; Also missing is Reiss Nelson, injured but unable to play against his parent club anyway, and his place goes to Adam Traoré.
Ah, not yet – Artetz speaks. He says Zinchenko is injured but his players have to adapt as necessary for a season and he is sure they will be fine. he knows Fulham They have good attackers, but they know that if you play in England there will be weather, you just have to make the most of what works for you.
He is sure that his team will get closer to the leader, but he has to earn the right to win here, against a team that has a good coach, talent and consistency.
I'm going to write this, Then we'll think about what they mean.
Let's have some equipment…
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Lion; Teté, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Bergé, Lukic; Adama, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez. Substitutes: Benda, Castagne, Cuenca, Sessegnon, Andreas, King, Godo, Wilson, Muniz.
Arsenal (4-3-3-): stripe; Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Madera; Jorginho, Arroz, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard. Substitutes: Neto, Tierney, Heaven, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Sterling, Jesús, Martinelli, Nwaneri.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Manchester)
Preamble
We must have all sat there watching our teams, doing our crazy things, as another corner hits the first man, then another goes past the back post. We asked ourselves: How difficult can it be for professionals, especially those at the elite level, to practice enough to become good enough?
Good, Arsenal are the answer, and while we have no idea how much work has gone into perfecting their craft, we have every idea that it was possible and has been for as long as this game has existed. Of course, it's nothing new: George Graham's champions of 1988-89 and 1990-91 were masters of hitting the near post, almost impossible to defend when executed well. But Mikel Arteta's team is a more versatile mix, so corners for his team are now an occasion: everyone knows something is coming, but no one except his players knows exactly what, and even then…
Or, put another way, mastering set pieces is not cheating, nor is it ugly, professional or embarrassing. All sides should be excellent at it, those who aren't are sloppy, and seeing things done properly and creatively, with physicality and intimidation, is a kind of beauty. It really is that simple.
Given that that's not all Arsenal do and given the form they are in, Fulham I have a problem this afternoon. But barring a crash at home to Wolves, they are also in a pretty decent situation, eighth in the table with chances of going further up with their last five games featuring wins over Brentford, Palace and Brighton along with a draw at Spurs. They will have no fear of Arsenal and, in Emile Smith Rowe, they have an enterprising young player desperate to show his former club what they are missing. This is going to be good.
Start: 14:00 GMT