Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta will miss key forward vs Fulham

Arsenal face a short trip to Craven Cottage tomorrow to face their London rivals Fulham in the next chapter of their Premier League title race. It’s a must win fixture, given Manchester City play a day before them. They’ll either be given an opportunity to extend their lead or, which is more likely, be forced to play catchup to reinstate their lead at the top of the table.

Mikel Arteta will want to field a strong lineup to maximise his chances in this match. More often not, the core foundations of Arteta’s lineups have remained the same. When all players are fit and available, you’re likely to be able to predict the full lineup of most matches.

One player who has had to step up to the mark in recent months to cover a key injury is Eddie Nketiah. However, it’s been reported from The London Evening Standard that Arteta will be without Nketiah in this match, as he is still recovering from a knock.

In recent matches, it’s been Gabriel Martinelli who’s filled the striker role, despite his primary position being out wide. He’s replacing the replacement, but it’s not been too detrimental to Arsenal, who have coped well on the goal scoring front despite their striker conundrum.

Arteta will want to see Nketiah have a speedy recovery and be back to action in no time. He’s a big fan of the English striker, hence the trust he instilled to not sign a striker in the January transfer window.

Gabriel Jesus is thought to be fighting back from injury and expected to be back to action sooner than first expected. However, this doesn’t overrule Nketiah’s importance – while his game time is likely to drop, he’s a key player to have as an option.

What’s your score prediction for Fulham vs Arsenal?