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By LUKE POWER and MATT BARLOW AT THE EMIRATES and ISAAN KHAN AT THE EMIRATES and JAMES SHARPE AT MOLINEUX Published: 04: 00 AEDT, 2 April 2025 | Updated: 06: 01 AEDT, 2 April 2025 11 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Arsenal host Fulham at the Emirates, whole West Ham travel to Molineux to face Wolves in the Premier League. Gabriel is holding the back of his leg and is signalling for the referee to stop play. Arsenal do NOT need another injury. Watch this space. . Nwaneri was always going to be a liveware a dhe has proven just that, mking a great run beyond the Fulham back line, but he just takes a touch beyond the line and is penalised. The flow of the game is more with Arsenal now. Arsenal have bee causing mischief for the first time. Martinelli sent Castagne to the cleaners as he beat him on the flank, pulled it back, but Partey scuffed his effort wide from the edge of the box. That was a missed opportunity. Just panicked a bit. It's been a buoyant start from Fulham, nd as we just said, Robinson is well involved. He burst past Timber on the left flank, finding Jimenez on the edge of the area but Arsenal did well to shepherd him away from goal. Antonee Robinson could be a key creative force today, paired off against Jurrien Timber, and it looks set to be the case with Marco Silva encouraging his wing-backs to get high. Five at the back, yes, but not rolling over. We're underway around the grounds and it's Fulham who have got us going in north London. Fulham, kitted out in purple, have gone for a back five, with Diop and Cuenca either side of Andersen. Right, it's time to get your predictions in for tonight's games. I don't know why, but I can see a tight one between Arsenal and Fulham, think I'll go 2-1 for that. Over in Wolverhampton. .. that has 0-0 written all over it, no? Nothing insightful here other than to say Elvis Presley's 'The Wonder of You' is blaring around Molineux at full blast and it is an absolute banger. That's all, kick-off on the way! There’s 15 mins to KO and very low key at the Emirates even by Arsenal standards. Those seven dropped points from three games have killed the title chase and left Arteta’s team and his supporters with Europe at the top of the priority list. What they want tonight is no fresh injuries ahead of next week’s quarter final v Real Madrid… and a gentle return to action for Bukayo Saka in the second half. Arguably more on this for Fulham, chasing European qualification and Silva looking for a response after the disappointment of defeat at home in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter final v Palace. The Spaniard told Sky Sports: 'Great to have him back, we missed him. He's a very important player for us. He's back, he's ready. 'It was a hard decision to put him on the bench when a player like that is available, but I think it was the right decision for the first game back. ' It's Wolves' first match since Matheus Cunha told the Guardian that he wants to leave the club. He's out for tonight with a suspension anyway, but maybe it wsn't the most sensitive comment. He said: 'I had a lot of offers (to leave in January) but I wouldn't feel well if I had done it. ' 'Some things you can't control but I couldn't leave the club in the middle of the season, in a difficult situation, in the relegation zone. 'Now, we're close to achieving our goal [of staying up]. But I've made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential. ' Finally, Lewis Ferguson is in from the start for West Ham. It's an opportunity he has to take. Manager Graham Potter told Sky Sports: 'He's been working hard in training. 'We knew when we signed him he would take a bit of time to get over the injuries that he's had. He's been helping us off the bench, he's had a positive international camp - I felt it was a good time to put him in. ' Short answer: you can't. Neither Arsenal vs Fulham nor Wolves vs West Ham are on TV in the UK tonight. I can think of an alternative way of following the action, and it involved staying right here! Fortunately you don't have to live halfway around the world and pay top bucks to read our blog. Bukayo Saka on the Arsenal bench after three months out is the main talking point here before kick-off against Fulham. It was expected, Mikel Arteta having said at his press conference yesterday that Saka is ‘ready to go’. But seeing him on the actual team-sheet brings it to reality. Having all but dropped out of the title race during his absence, the winger’s return — albeit on the bench — should prove to be a big boost for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta has been speaking to Sky Sports: 'He had a niggle two days ago. Yesterday we tried but he was't feeling right so we decided to not put him in the squad. No (nothing too serious). ' One of tonight's clubs gets a mention in the article below, and Oliver Holt does NOT pull any punches. Fulham select just two from their former Arsenal collection (Leno and Smith Rowe) to start with two more on the bench (Iwobi and Willian) and one ineligible (Nelson) because he’s on loan… and injured. Big news is that Lucas Paqueta starts for West Ham, for the first time since his spot-fixing trial began on March 17. We broke the news yesterday that the Hammers would give Paqueta the choice whether he wished to take part as the strain of fighting for his career is taking its toll. But he's in the starting XI alongside on-loan striker Evan Ferguson making his first start since rejoining former Brighton boss Graham Potter at West Ham. Be interesting to see what reaction Paqueta gets. .. It's also Max Kilman's return for the first time since he left. Interesting to see response for him too! No changes for Wolves, four for West Ham. Todibo, Emerson, Soucek and Kudus all drop out, with Cresswell, Scarles, Guilherme, and Ferguson coming in. Fulham return to a back five for this one. Safety first, though they haven't lost to Arsenal since March 2023. I don't like how Arsenal don't post their team news on their X page, but make you go to their website. Why make your own fans go that extra step to find out the team? ?? Well, here it is anyway. No Ben White. XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Martinelli, Merino.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Jorginho, Gower, Saka, Sterling, Trossard I found some of Mikel Arteta's comments in the lead-up to this game very striking. Referring to a 'big' summer coming up, he said: 'Now we want to increase the depth of the squad, but as well we want to increase the quality and the skills that we need to go to the next step. It's going to be a big one and we are very excited about it. ' Now, I get they've had lots of injuries this season, but Arteta has been at Arsenal since 2019. They've already had big summers and the titles have not come. Why do they still 'need' extra quality and skills to go the 'next step' - surely they should have done that business by now? And why does he need to look ahead to next season for hope? You heard me. Bukayo Saka is ready to play for the first time December 21, when he picked up a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace. It has been a difficult road to recovery, and we're yet to see what version of Saka we get, but what a boost. 'Bukayo is ready to go, ' said Mikel Arteta. 'All the careful things are already done so it's now about putting him on the grass in the right moments but he is pushing because he wants it. 'We have respected the time frame, we have done everything, we had to hold him back even. So he's ready to go. ' After 19 games away, will he make a difference today? Over in the Midlands, and this game is a bit of a tougher sell. Wolves are 17th, West Ham are 16th, both are well clear of the relegation zone and the top half is a pipe dream. It could well end up a thriller but, on paper, it doesn't look like they have much to play for, even with nine games left. But each league position higher you finish is worth around £3million more so, if we're being cynical and letting the commercialisation of football overtake our brains for a moment, where you finish does matter. The difference between, say, 17th and 13th is potentially a half-decent player in the transfer market. If you'd have offered Marco Silva Fulham's league position with nine games to go at the start of the season, you'd suddenly find your hand chewed off. The Cottagers are eighth in the Premier League and - check this - four points off fifth-placed Manchester City, a spot which looks like it will get a Champions League berth. They've been decent on their travels, having won three of their last six league away fixtures, including at Chelsea, but must bounce back after a 3-0 FA Cup quarter-final drubbing at home to Crystal Palace. Arsenal have the chance to put the pressure on Liverpool - well, sort of. The Gunners come into this one nine points off the champions-elect, who host Everton tomorrow. But if Arsenal can slash the gap slightly, then it could make their encounter at Anfield in May a bit juicier. In December, Fulham welcomed Arsenal to Craven Cottage and earned themselves a 1-1 draw. Raul Jimenez gave them an early lead before Kai Havertz equalised in the second half. Bukayo Saka thought he had won the game for Arsenal late on but his goal was ruled out for a Gabriel Martinelli offside. Encouraging signs for Fulham. By Luke Power Hello all! The sun is still shining, so yes, I'm calling it afternoon. And indeed we have four teams tonight on this blog who will hope the sun can shine a little brighter on their seasons. We'll be focusing mostly on Arsenal and Fulham, but we'll also have updates from Wolves and West Ham. Stay tuned. Arsenal have been building over the past few seaso. ..
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