Fulham vs Arsenal preview

Arsenal’s first game of the 2020/21 Premier League season will be a short trip south as they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage to get their season underway in the early afternoon slot on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta will lead his Gunners side in his first full season as manager and should be full of confidence as they have managed to win two pieces of silverware in their last two outings, although he must be wary that their London rivals will be more-than-up for the game as they will want to set their stall out for a solid top-flight campaign under Scott Parker.

Gunners should have confidence

As mentioned, Arteta has already managed to provide Arsenal with two pieces of silverware since taking over from Unai Emery halfway through last year’s campaign. Bettors can only hope that they are on the same winning roll when they play real money slots!

The Spaniard captured the FA Cup and Community Shield by defeating Chelsea and Liverpool respectively. Victories against two of their fierce rivals should instil some much-needed confidence for the Emirates Stadium outfit and the addition of a number of new signings in vital areas should also help.

The Gunners have managed to bolster their wing attack with the incredibly experienced Willian, whilst their defence has been reinforced significantly, with the arrivals of William Saliba (following his year-long loan at St Etienne) and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The fact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still an Arsenal player could also be a significant confidence boost as well, although the Gabon international is still expected to commit to a fresh contract imminently.

If Arteta can get his side producing the kind of football they managed to following the restart, then a finish better than last season’s eighth should be on the cards.

Record against Fulham is strong

Fulham may have been prolific in front of goal in the Championship last season, with 64 goals scored and the division’s top scorer in Aleksandar Mitrovic in their squad, however Arsenal should be able to cope with the vast majority of the Cottagers’ attacks.

It would not be a surprise if Parker’s side were to score as the Gunners do have a tendency to concede, however the overall head-to-head record certainly favours the north Londoners in this tie. Bettors would be wise to look at reviews of the best online casinos in UK when looking for a place to make wagers.

Arsenal have won five and drawn one of the last six meetings to have been played between the sides in all competitions and the Gunners managed to defeat Fulham 5-1 when the match was last played in October 2018.

Arsenal start quickly

In their last 12 matches, Arteta’s side have managed to score 11 first-half goals, so fans should expect to see the Gunners out of the traps in quick fashion.

Aubameyang appears to enjoy the fast starts as well, as the talented striker has managed to score in the first half in seven of those 12 matches, with goals including those that were scored in the FA Cup Final and the Community Shield.

Fulham have scored most of their goals in the second half, so either Bernd Leno or Emiliano Martinez will need to ensure their defence and their concentration levels remain at a high level throughout the game.