Arsenal will be looking to return to third place in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.
With no one else in the top five in action until later in the weekend, the Gunners have the chance to move five points clear of fifth place Tottenham Hotspur, who face Manchester City on Sunday, and also leap frog Chelsea who travel to Liverpool following that game.
Arsene Wenger has an almost fully fit squad at his disposal, with Abou Diaby the only long term absentee, though the game may come just too soon for Lukasz Fabianski, so Wojciech Szczesny is set to continue in goal following his clean sheet midweek.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have hinted that they could keep hold of goalkeeper Victor Valdes beyond the summer, despite the Spaniard insisting that he will not sign a new contract at the Nou Camp.
Therefore, the Spanish giants could face losing the 31 year old on a free transfer at the end of next season; something the Catalan club’s vice-president has admitted is their preferred option.
If this is the case, the Gunners could turn their attention to Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet, who has also been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates.
