Arsenal have confirmed their starting XI to face Fulham, with Riccardo Calafiori returning to the defence and Bukayo Saka captaining the side.
Arsenal have confirmed their starting XI to face Fulham in the Premier League, with Bukayo Saka captaining Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners know victory would move them six points clear of Manchester City, even though Pep Guardiola’s side would still have the chance to pull level with their games in hand. With the Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid also to come next week, Arteta has named a strong side for a fixture Arsenal cannot afford to treat as a distraction.
Arsenal XI vs. Fulham: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Eze; Saka, Trossard, Gyökeres.
Arsenal subs: Kepa, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Zubimendi, Dowman.
Calafiori’s return is a notable boost after his recent spell out, giving Arsenal a natural left-sided option in defence again. He joins Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel in front of David Raya, with Arsenal looking for another clean sheet at an important stage of the title race.
In midfield, Declan Rice starts alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly and Eberechi Eze. That setup gives Arsenal ball-carrying, defensive balance and creativity, with Eze likely to be central to how the hosts try to break down a Fulham side Arteta has already described as well organised.
Saka takes the armband and starts in attack with Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyökeres. It is a front three with pace, direct running and penalty-box threat, and Arsenal will hope Gyökeres can continue building rhythm after scoring from the spot in the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid.
There is no Martin Odegaard in the matchday squad after Arteta gave only a brief update on his captain’s availability in Friday’s pre-match press conference, saying: “Let’s see.” His absence means Saka takes on the captaincy, while Eze and Lewis-Skelly are handed important roles in midfield.
Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber are also not involved. Arteta confirmed before the game that both would miss the Fulham clash, with Havertz pushing to return for next week’s Champions League meeting with Atletico. Timber’s absence means Arsenal continue without one of their most versatile defensive options.
The return of Calafiori at least strengthens the back line at a key stage of the season. Arsenal have relied heavily on their defensive record during the run-in, and another clean sheet would give them a strong platform against Fulham.
The stakes are clear. Arsenal must balance the demands of Europe with the pressure of the title race, but this team selection shows Arteta’s focus is firmly on taking three points. With City still chasing, Fulham represents a chance to put the pressure back on the champions before attention turns again to Atletico.