^ ^ Fulham without three stars for Arsenal clash in boost for Gunners

Arteta’s side in need of another huge three points (Picture: Getty)

Marco Silva will be without three of his Fulham stars for their Premier League clash with Arsenal this weekend.

The Cottagers make the short trip across the capital for what is another must-win game for Mikel Arteta’s side on Saturday evening.

The Gunners have moved three points clear at the summit again with Manchester City involved in FA Cup action last weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s side do not play Everton until Monday night, giving Arsenal the chance to move six points clear tomorrow.

One former Arsenal star will not be involved against his old side. Alex Iwobi was forced off before half-time in the goalless draw with Brentford two weeks ago after pulling up with a hamstring injury.

It ruled him out of last weekend’s victory over Aston Villa with Silva confirming the Nigeria international remains sidelined.

Ryan Sessegnon scored the winner in that game against Unai Eemry’s side before he was forced off late on. The knock will rule the 25-year-old out of the game at the Emirates and Fulham’s next game against Bournemouth.

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Sessegnon scored the winner against Aston Villa last weekend (Picture: Getty)

Summer signing Kevin, who has scored a respectable eight goals in his first season in England, remains sidelined having missed the last seven games with a metatarsal bruise.

Fulham are likely to have Kenny Tete available again, however.

‘It’s not good news about him,’ said Silva when asked about Sessegnon.

Iwobi will miss out against his former side (Picture: Getty)

‘Sessegnon is going to be out of the next game, and probably the one after will be the same story for him, and then we will have to assess him day by day. For the Arsenal game, for sure out. For the game after, for sure out.

‘Alex [Iwobi] is out still, plus Kevin. Kenny [Tete], we will have to see how he reacts from the last two sessions. He can probably be involved in the game.

‘We have some doubts on some players, but we will assess them tomorrow to see how they react from things that happened in the week.’

Arsenal beat Fulham 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in October.

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^ ^ Could Jose Mourinho really make a sensational return to Real Madrid?

Jose Mourinho looks like he’s heading back to the big time for a second spell at Real Madrid, and you’d be forgiven for wondering why.

The ‘Special One’ has been getting less and less special in recent years as his managerial career has spun downwards from Europe’s best sides to the likes of Roma and Fenerbache. But Madrid have had a disastrous time by their standards and are on track for a second trophyless season in a row for the first time in 20 years.

If there’s one thing President Florentino Perez cares about more than anything else, it’s winning.

That’s where he reportedly wants Jose to come in.

Mourinho was shown a red card when his current club Benfica faced Madrid earlier this season (Picture: Angel Martinez/Getty)

Madrid’s biggest successes over the past 15 years came with Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, two managers known for not overloading players with silly things like tactical instructions.

Perez tried to change last year by appointing a fancy modern coach in Xabi Alonso but sacked him as soon as the players decided they didn’t like being told where to stand or how to play.

Perhaps Perez thinks going back to basics will mark the start of a new era of continental dominance for Madrid.

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Mourinho was being coy when asked about a potential return this week.

‘My next goal is to get Benfica to the Champions League.’ he said.

‘If we win the next three matches, we’ll play in Europe’s biggest competition. That’s the only thing on my mind.’

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Would Mourinho be a success back at Real Madrid?

Let’s get the ‘for’ column out of the way first.

Madrid’s players are better than most other teams, so it only takes a bit of motivation to turn them from second place failures to league winners – Mourinho can probably still do that.

But even winning the league isn’t enough at Madrid, where the Champions League and style of play are king, and it makes the ‘against’ column much meatier. Mourinho has had mixed results wherever he’s been since his second spell at Chelsea ended in tears in 2015.

On the pitch his teams tend to look toothless and disjointed, and there’s a sense that his style of play doesn’t work at the highest level any more – especially when you consider how difficult it is to get the likes of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe to do any sort of defending.

That’s on the pitch, but it’s off the pitch where bigger problems may lie.

Just this season Mourinho robustly defended Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni after he was accused of making a racist remark towards Vinicius in the Champions League. Prestianni denied this, admitted he was being homophobic instead and got a six-game ban from UEFA.

Would Vinicius accept a manager who this week backed Prestianni yet again?

‘If I were in the stands, I’d be applauding too,’ Mourinho said after fans celebrated the winger’s return to the pitch on Saturday.

Given Madrid’s success relies on players feeling the love, it’s hardly a match made in heaven. 

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