Martin Zubimendi and Ethan Nwaneri will return to the Arsenal starting lineup for the game against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Arsenal will aim to build a four-point lead over Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table when they lock horns with Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday evening. Mikel Arteta has a new injury concern to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Martin Odegaard is the latest absentee after picking up a third injury in only two months of the 2025/26 season. The Norwegian international sustained a knee problem against West Ham United, and he will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
Odegaard has joined Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus in the treatment room. However, there is some good news, as Piero Hincapie has resumed training after recovering from a groin injury. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi.
The Arsenal manager said, “It will be weeks [for Odegaard], there’s no definite date for his return, but he’s evolving well. It’s very unlucky what’s happened to him and his injuries this season, but I think he will be back in a few weeks. We’ll have to see how he progresses, how the knee’s healing, and how he manages after the next steps in his rehab.”
“All players come from different countries, with different amounts of games and minutes played. We believe that [sitting Zubimendi out] was the right thing to do. He played two games again. His load has been really high recently and he needed an extra day, but he will be available. [White] is very similar. We are monitoring all the players and giving a specific menu to each of them to make sure that they are in the best condition.”
Arteta also discussed Hincapie’s progress during his presser. The Arsenal boss said, “He will be training today again with us and if everything is right, he will be available as well. He’s a player who is going to help us a lot, he’s going to bring something different to the team. We need to get him going, get to the speed that is necessary to compete at this level and gradually get him to where we want.”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with the away side lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Fulham on Saturday. The backline will feature Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Riccardo Calafiori.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in the double pivot. Ethan Nwaneri will reprise the no. 10 role, with Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka being the two wide attackers. Finally, Viktor Gyokeres will lead the line for the Gunners against Fulham. So, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli will be backup options on the bench.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Nwaneri, Eze; Gyokeres
