Arsenal faces a grueling run of three games in six days as it chases a historic Premier League and Champions League double, but Jamie Carragher has singled out one fixture above all others that concerns him most
Jamie Carragher has offered his opinion(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has urged Arsenal not to let its Champions League semifinal overshadow the challenge Fulham will pose.
On Wednesday, the Gunners travel to Spain to face Atletico Madrid in the opening leg of their European clash. While Arsenal demolished Atletico 4-0 earlier in the tournament, the match-up with Diego Simeone’s side is expected to be a demanding affair.
Just three days later, Mikel Arteta’s players host Fulham in a pivotal Premier League title encounter. Manchester City could pull level on points with Arsenal should it secure victory in its outstanding fixture, meaning the Londoners cannot afford to drop further points if they wish to claim silverware.
READ MORE: Alan Shearer thinks he saw sign over Mohamed Salah injury severityREAD MORE: Liverpool must show that its learnt its lesson when it makes Alisson decision
However, Carragher warned Arsenal that its demanding run of three matches in six days will take a significant physical toll.
On Monday Night Football, Carragher explained: “I know this myself when playing Champions League semifinals, when you play Wednesday-Tuesday, that is a big difference between playing Tuesday-Wednesday.
“You are actually playing three games in six days rather than three games in eight days and that is a massive difference at this stage in the season and that is why I really worry for Arsenal about this (Fulham at home).
Carragher discussed Arsenal’s fixtures in the Premier League title race(Image: Sky Sports)
“So you play Wednesday night there (away at Atletico), which is really difficult, you have to travel back away. Fulham are a decent side, and then you have got to go again on the Tuesday night.
“For me, they have been very unfortunate the way the games have fallen, so three games in six days is really tough. It’s when there is that two-day turnaround it is very difficult to recover.
“For me, when I am looking at Arsenal’s fixtures, that (Fulham) would be the one that would worry me more than anything because of the situation of Atletico Madrid.”
After the Fulham encounter, Arsenal hosts Atletico for the return leg on Tuesday, 5 May, before traveling to face relegation-battling West Ham on Sunday, May 10.
Arteta will need his entire squad at full strength if he’s serious about securing the club’s first-ever Premier League and Champions League double.
Arsenal got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Newcastle last weekend. The result propelled the Gunners to the top of the table, although City has a game in hand following its FA Cup semifinal against Southampton.
After the victory, Arteta issued a rousing message to his players, stating: “I’m really happy for the win. We talked about game one and how important that was. We did the job. We should have finished with a bigger margin in certain moments of the game.
“But when it’s 1-0, it’s always tough because they have quality, because they brought so many good players on the bench as well. And when we don’t finish the action, especially the open ones that we had, the margin is going to be smaller.”