Arsenal v Fulham: Gunners backed to extend winning streak

Arsenal top the table

Arsenal swept Bournemouth aside 3-0 last Saturday to continue their perfect start and rise to the top of the Premier League table.

Captain Martin Odegaard put the Gunners in complete control of proceedings inside the opening 10 minutes with a well-taken double, before William Saliba curled home a beautiful third after the break to complete the rout.

It is the first time Arsenal have won their opening three league fixtures since 2004/05 and the margin of victory could even have been larger; Gabriel Jesus saw his clever finish ruled out by VAR for offside.

The Gunners won the shot count 14-6 and forced six on-target efforts of their own, wining the Expected Goals (xG) battle comfortably, 1.69 to 0.28.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is pleased with progress but knows there's still room for improvement. He said,

"It's just three games, it doesn't mean anything. What it means is the team is playing really well, we're scoring goals, we're keeping clean sheets. I'm proud because it's not easy to come here and win 3-0 but there is still things to improve."

Consistency and continuity is certainly aiding Arsenal's prospects. Arteta has named an unchanged team for the opening three fixtures - the first time the Gunners' have done so since 2003/04.

Despite Takehiro Tomiyasu's return from injury, the hosts may look to continue with Ben White at right-back, whilst Fabio Viera is now fit enough to feature.

Fulham arrive unbeaten

Aleksandar Mitrovic headed a late winner as Fulham beat local rivals Brentford 3-2 last weekend to earn a first win in 25 top-flight London derbies.

The Cottagers had coughed up a 2-0 advantage before Mitrovic, who earlier forced Bees keeper David Raya into a couple of fine saves, finally found his third goal of the season with a guided header at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva's men had led after 44 seconds when Bobby Decordova-Reid tapped in from close range, before summer signing Joao Palhinha doubled their advantage with a thumping header.

However, the hosts allowed Brentford back into the entertaining encounter, conceding goals either side of the half-time interval to see their early advantage eaten up.

Mitrovic's late intervention gave the Whites a deserved three points and extended the promoted side's unbeaten start. But Silva is still demanding more from his team.

Silva said, "We deserved the three points, overall we were the best team. We believe in ourselves, our philosophy and in our way. We're pleased with how we've started, but we could even have had - and obviously would have wanted - more points. We're embracing the challenge."

Fulham were back in action on Tuesday but suffered a humbling 2-0 defeat to League Two outfit Crawley in the League Cup.

Silva made 10 changes to the side that beat Brentford - only 19-year-old Jay Stansfield retained his place in the starting line-up with £16m signing Issa Diop making his debut.

The Cottagers boss will shuffle their pack again for Saturday.

Gunners difficult to dismiss in current mood

Arsenal boast an excellent record in recent head-to-head contests with Fulham.

The Gunners have suffered a solitary loss in 15 Premier League meetings (W9-D5-L1) and are unbeaten in their latest eight such encounters.

The hosts have also never been beaten by the Cottagers on home soil, a 30-game run of results across all competitions (W24-D6-L0).

Only four times in Arsenal's 1.341/3 rich history have the Gunners opened their league season with four straight wins and the North Londoners come into this contest unbeaten in 33 Premier League ties against promoted sides at The Emirates (W28-D5-L0).

indeed, since 2018/19, Arsenal have posted a W33-D9-L5 return when odds-on favourites at home.

Fulham 10.5019/2 have performed above expectations to record W1-D2-L0 across their first three matchdays.

The Cottagers have attempted more shots, landed more on-target efforts and fired in more attempts from inside the penalty box than both Wolves and Brentford, whilst the Whites received plenty of plaudits for their aggressive efforts against Liverpool.

Jesus to make his mark

Over 2.5 Goals has been chalked up at 1.564/7 here, a selection that's paid out in four of the duos six collective Premier League outings thus far.

However, I'm mindful that Arsenal have been producing impressive defensive numbers during their first three fixtures, allowing only 0.49 Expected Goals (xG) per-game and giving up just 17 shots from inside the penalty box.

Considering Arsenal have W28-D9-L5 when entertaining bottom-half finishers since the beginning of 2018/19, and W19-D3-L1 here when quoted at odds shorter than 1.50, it's difficult to dismiss the Gunners extending their winning streak.

I'm also happy to oppose a high-scoring showdown by chucking Under 4.5 Goals into the mix.

As well as the aforementioned defensive metrics, only five of 49 Emirates encounters under Arteta have produced five goals or more, and we can conclude a three-legged Bet Builder by backing Gabriel Jesus to score or assist on Saturday evening.

Jesus has been involved in five goals in his first three Premier League appearances for the Gunners (two goals, three assists), the most of any Gunners player in their first three games for the club in the competition.

The Brazilian has also scored four goals and managed four assists in his last four league starts against newly-promoted opponents.

Arsenal to win, Under 4.5 Goals and Gabriel Jesus to score or assist give us an attractive 2.568/5 wager to cheer on via the Bet Builder.

This weekend, you can get a £2 free Bet Builder on any Premier League match.