Arsenal will face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, looking for a first win in the 2013/14 Premier League season. The Gunners were hammered by a much-improved Aston Villa at home in their first game, 1-3. The Cottagers, on the other hand, are a team in form - they beat Sunderland 1-0 in their opening game, a goal from Pajtim Kasami giving them all three points.

Fulham v Arsenal
Reuters

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 12.45pm BST. Live coverage is on BT Sport 1 and radio commentary is on BBC Radio 5 live.

Overview

Martin Jol got his side off to a good start with a smash-and-grab win at the Stadium of Light. Paolo di Canio's Sunderland were the more active side going forward, with 58% of the ball and 21 shots on goal. Unfortunately, only a handful of those efforts troubled Fulham keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

As luck would have it, Swiss youngster Kasami was on hand to nod in a goal for the visitors early in the second half, after a well-directed corner kick from former Chelsea winger Damien Duff. Indeed, so complete was Sunderland's domination that Fulham had only five shots on goal all match.

Jol will be eager for another three points against the Gunners but will know he cannot afford to be so weak defensively. Arsene Wenger may have failed to sign the likes of Luis Suarez or Gonzalo Higuain but in Olivier Giroud he has a very capable Premier League striker and the players will be on a high after a confident 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in a midweek Champions League qualifier.

Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Giroud all scored in Turkey, to all but assure Wenger of a berth in the money-spinning group stages. However, it remains to be seen if that is the signal for Wenger to break with habit and spend big in the final few days of the transfer window. So far, Arsenal have failed to impress, despite a sizeable transfer budget, and an injury crisis heading into the game against Fenerbahce must surely persuade the Gunners' boss to spend and boost squad size and strength.

What the Coaches Say

Jol: "There is not a fear factor in our team about Arsenal, but of course you know their qualities and you have to respect their qualities and try to play your own style."

Wenger: "We didn't start well. So it's very important we bounce back very quickly and do not get too far behind the teams who already have six points. The season has started but we couldn't take off with points. This is a vital game because we must respond to the Villa defeat and recover very quickly."

Team Form

Fulham

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W L D L D
  • Last Match: Sunderland 0 - 1 Fulham

Arsenal

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W L W L D
  • Last Match: Fenerbahce 0 - 3 Arsenal

Team News

Fulham

  • Injured: Maarten Stekelenburg (shoulder) and Kieran Richardson (hamstring)
  • Doubtful: Alexander Kacaniklic (hamstring)
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Line-Up: Stockdale; Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Briggs; Duff, Sidwell, Boateng, Taarabt; Ruiz, Berbatov

Arsenal

  • Injured: Mikel Arteta (thigh), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby (knee) and Thomas Vermaelen (back)
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: Laurent Koscielny

Probable Line-Up: Szczesny; Jenkinson, Sagna, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Ramsey, Wilshere: Walcott, Rosicky, Cazorla; Giroud

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