It’s a quick turnaround for Arsenal, who get Fulham at home on Saturday, having played Atletico Madrid to a draw on Wednesday night. Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori came off the injured list and returned to the squad in the midweek score draw. Now we’ll see if Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber will do the same for the weekend league fixture.
Arsenal certainly played well enough to deserve a win at the Metropolitano, but a controversial call forced them to settle for a stalemate.
Fulham at Arsenal FYIs
Kickoff Time: 5.30 p.m. GMT, Sat. May 2
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Google Result Probability: Fulham FC win 13% Draw 20% Arsenal win 67%
Premier League Standings: Fulham FC 10th, 48 pts Arsenal 1st, 73 pts
Gunners Team News
Dutch referee Danny Makkelie initially ruled that Arsenal would receive a second penalty kick, but after an extensive VAR check, he overturned his call.
The Gunners were denied another opportunity from the spot, and manager Mikel Arteta fumed over the reversal. However, there is nothing they can do now except just move on to the next match.
Jurrien Timber, who’s been battling an ankle injury, is moving closer towards a return. It had been thought that it was going to happen last night, but it did not.
And thus, it seems like Saturday will be the day that he finally returns to action.
“He’s doing some stuff on the pitch at the moment, but we need to get the gears up and be able to do more things before he can compete with us,” Arteta said at his Tuesday press conference.
As for Havertz, he’s also in that sort of “50/50,” “touch-and-go,” “must pass a late fitness test” category. Not much is really known about the specific details of his issue, other than it’s muscular in nature.
The only other injury concern for Arsenal right now is midfielder Mikel Merino, who may still feature before the season ends.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.