Arsenal know the importance of not dropping points down the stretch as they try to secure a top-four finish. The Gunners also know, however, claiming maximum points will go much further as they face Fulham on Saturday at Craven Cottage. With five matches remaining, Arsenal (17-9-7) are fighting with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton for the final two Champions League spots since the two Manchester sides will claim the other two.
Arsene Wenger's side clawed out a goalless draw against Everton at home on Tuesday but left lamenting the two lost points after creating the better goal scoring chances in the match. "We should have won the game, but it keeps us in a strong position for the top four,'' said Wenger, whose team enters this match in fourth place, one behind Chelsea and two better than Spurs. Oliver Giroud had two of the better chances in Tuesday's match, but should be welcoming the challenge of facing Fulham again. The French striker bagged a brace in the reverse fixture at Emirates on Nov. 10, including the match-tying goal in the 69th minute of a 3-3 draw.
Olivier Giroud has scored only one of his 11 league goals outside Emirates., with both Chelsea and Spurs also facing top-seven foes this weekend, the Gunners know leaving Craven Cottage with the maximum points will be vital to their Champions League aspirations. "We always knew that this week was going to be a big week for us," midfielder Aaron Ramsey told the team's official website. "We've got four points out of two games so far. We're still unbeaten in a load of games and hopefully now we can finish the week off strongly and get a win at Fulham which will put us in a really strong position."
Fulham (10-10-13) did Arsenal no favours on Wednesday losing 3-0 at home to Chelsea and extending their winless spell to three matches (0-1-2). Manager Martin Jol felt the match turned after an empty half-hour following strong play and breakdowns on defence. "The frustration is playing well for the first half an hour, creating three or four chances, including in the first few minutes when Bryan Ruiz could have scored, and then conceding a goal because we didn't close (David) Luiz down," the Dutchman said."They're a fantastic team but I'm still disappointed that we didn't achieve more in the first 30 minutes."
The Cottagers needed their veteran striker Dimitar Berbatov to get back on track. The Bulgarian forward has failed to score during Fulham's winless streak, and they are unbeaten (6-4-0) when he finds the back of the net. The sides drew 3-3 in this season's reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium in November. Giroud and Lukas Poldoski staked Arsenal to a 2-0 lead in the first 23 minutes, only to see Fulham pull level before halftime and take a 3-2 lead in the 67th minute on a penalty kick by Berbatov, his second goal of the match. Alex Kacaniklic scored Fulham's second goal. Giroud, though, countered with the second half of his brace two minutes later to give the Gunners a share of the points. Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta missed a last-minute penalty to snatch victory for Wenger's side. Arsenal have taken points in seven of the last eight matches (3-4-1) between the teams, but Fulham are 1-3-0 in the last four.
Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal to get back to winning ways at Craven Cottage on Saturday and he said: "We have created a fantastic run and put a fantastic run together. I believe we will do it but it is down to our performances. "We bounced back from a very, very difficult position but we still have a lot of work to do." "In the last ten league games we've put together a very good run, winning seven, drawing twice and losing just once. With five games to go we can''t afford to slip up. I believe we can win all our remaining games and finish within the top four, whether that be third or fourth." Chelsea got a comfortable 3-0 win at Fulham's ground in mid-week, not a big deal for Arsenal to toll same line. Can Arsenal secure all 3 points at Craven Cottage? Let us know your predictions below.
Match Facts Via BBC :
Head-to-head
Fulham are unbeaten against Arsenal in their past four meetings. Arsenal's last win was 2-1 at home in December 2010.
The Gunners last triumphed at Craven Cottage in September 2009, Robin van Persie scoring the only goal.
Arsenal have won 15 of the 23 Premier League meetings between the two clubs. Fulham have only won three of them.
Fulham
Fulham have only taken one point from their last three matches, having been unbeaten in the previous five.
The Cottagers have picked up 11 points from London derbies this season. They have only fared better in 2002-2003 (13 points).
They have benefited from five own goals this season, a league-high with Manchester United.
Dimitar Berbatov has scored five goals in the club's last seven matches. Ten of his 13 goals this season have been scored in the first half.
Arsenal
Arsene Wenger's side have won seven of their last nine league games (W7, D1, L1).
The Gunners have scored 18 goals in the final 15 minutes of games this season, by far the most in the top-flight.
Ten of Olivier Giroud's 11 Premier League goals this season have come at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta has scored five successive penalties in the Premier League since missing a last minute spot-kick against Fulham in November.
Pre Match Press Conference
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