CRAVEN COTTAGE, LONDON — Arsenal have a chance to end 2023 on top of the Premier League, if they can defeat Fulham on New Year’s Eve.
The Gunners have won just one of their last five games across all competitions, with the latest of those being a surprise 2-0 loss at home against West Ham United in midweek.
A record-breaking 77 scoreless touches in the opposition box last time out meant a frustrating night for Mikel Arteta, whose side have dropped from top spot on Christmas Day to fourth following Manchester City’s victory yesterday, in a hotly-contested title race.
Standing in their way is a rollercoaster Fulham team which have lost their last three games by an aggregate score of 8-0, having produced back-to-back 5-0 wins immediately beforehand.
The Sporting News is live from west London, delivering score updates and the key incidents throughout the afternoon below.
Fulham vs Arsenal live updates
40 mins to KO: It’s a huge afternoon for Nketiah to stake his claim for a place in the team. The England international hasn’t scored in his last eight league appearances, though the most recent seven of those came as a substitute following the return of Jesus from injury.
Nketiah’s most recent goals were a hat-trick against a hapless Sheffield United in late October, with his prior strike being against today’s opponents back in August at Emirates Stadium.
1 hour to KO: Team news is in, and two key changes for the Gunners. Gabriel Jesus drops to the bench after a poor outing against West Ham in favour of Eddie Nketiah, while Jakub Kiwior is in for Oleksandr Zinchenko. Though the Ukrainian has had a shaky last two games, he’s reportedly picked up a calf problem rather than dropped.
Fulham XI: Leno (GK) — Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson — Cairney, Palhinha — Wilson, De Cordova-Reid, Iwobi — Jimenez.
Arsenal XI: Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior — Odegaard, Rice, Havertz — Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
1 hour 20 mins to KO: Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have failed to provide a killer touch of late, with the former going a month without a goal contribution in the Premier League. Martinelli scored at Luton on December 5, but that was his only one since early October.
Reflecting on that form, Arteta told his pre-match press conference: “Obviously there are a lot of games, but they looked really good, they looked fresh and when you win you don’t look at that. They are young — if they were 35 then maybe it’s a different question. They have a lot of energy, they can keep going, that’s for sure.”
1 hour 40 mins to KO: After an impressive return to the top-flight in 2022/23, Fulham are nervously looking down at the relegation zone this time around. They do have a chance to pull nine points clear today, however. Yesterday, the Whites were helped by each of the bottom five dropping points, with Nottingham Forest being the only team below them to win.
2 hours to KO: Hello and welcome to the Sporting News’ live coverage from Craven Cottage, as title-chasing Arsenal eye a first away win in four. The Gunners will have Kai Havertz back in the side following his suspension for picking up five yellow cards, with the loss to West Ham doing wonders for the perception of the Germany international.
Fans bemoaning his absence is a far cry from his early-season struggles, but Havertz is now a key member of the starting XI. In the last five weeks, the former Chelsea man has racked up four goals — the opener against Lens, a seal of the win over Brighton & Hove Albion, and more importantly, last-gasp winners at Luton Town and Brentford.
Fulham vs Arsenal lineups
Fulham projected lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Leno (GK) — Tete, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson — Reed, Palhinha — Wilson, Pereira, Iwobi — Jimenez.
Arsenal projected lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Rice, Havertz — Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
What time does Fulham vs Arsenal kick off?
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Sun, Dec. 31 | 9:00 a.m. ET |
| Canada | Sun, Dec. 31 | 9:00 a.m. ET |
| UK | Sun, Dec. 31 | 2:00 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Mon, Jan. 1, 2024 | 1:00 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Sat, Dec. 30 | 7:30 p.m. IST |
Fulham vs Arsenal live stream, TV channel
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | Peacock |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League | Sky GO, Now TV |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports 3 Asia | Hotstar VIP, JioTV |