Arsenal host Fulham in the Premier League on tuesday night, in a match that’ll see several familiar faces return to the Emirates Stadium.
Fulham have developed something of an ex-Arsenal core in their squad, with the likes of Bernd Leno, Emile Smith Rowe, Willian and Alex Iwobi all playing important roles in Marco Silva’s team.
Reiss Nelson was part of this Arsenal cohort at Fulham earlier this season, although the loanee has sustained a serious injury that has seen him miss the entirety of the second half of the campaign.
Smith Rowe is returning to his old stomping ground for the first team since leaving, in what is sure to be an emotional night for the Hale End graduate.
- READ MORE: Arsenal vs Fulham – How to watch, live stream, team news, injury returns and absences, plus more
Martin Odegaard sends message to Emile Smith Rowe before Arsenal v Fulham
Arsenal sold Smith Rowe to Fulham for a fee in the region of £27 million (with £7 million in potential add-ons) last summer.
The 24-year impressed early on at Craven Cottage, although he’s struggled to produce the level of output Silva might’ve expected, scoring five goals and registering two assists in the league this term.
Silva vented his frustrations over Smith Rowe in his press conference on Monday, while the player’s former teammate Martin Odegaard has taken a sentimental approach to his return.
Writing in his matchday programme notes on Arsenal.com, Odegaard said: “There are a lot of familiar faces in their side, and I know it will be special for Emile to be back at the Emirates again.
“Hopefully we can keep him quiet on the day, but it will be nice to see him and my other teammates again.
“Sander Berge as well – who I just spent time with during the international break – he’s a really close friend of mine. We’ve played together since the under-15s with Norway, so, of course, we spoke about this game last week while we were away.”
How Arsenal’s former players could hurt them against Fulham
While Arsenal are the most defensively secure team in the Premier League, there are a few vulnerabilities in Arteta’s side, and some of their former players could expose these on Tuesday night.
Thomas Partey often struggles to deal with midfielders who make late bursts and darting runs beyond him, one of Smith Rowe’s biggest strengths.
If the attacking midfielder is able to break beyond the Ghanaian even once, the Gunners could be in trouble.
Elsewhere, Fulham are an extremely cross-heavy team, with this their primary way of creating chances.
William Saliba can occasionally be susceptible to being beaten in the air, and thus, both Willian and Alex Iwobi’s crosses into the box could harm Arsenal’s back-line.
Having said this, Arsenal allowed Fulham just two shots in the reverse fixture, so you’d expect them to keep the visitors at bay for most of the game.
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