Fulham line up with a very similar team to that which was promoted, although top-scorer Mitrovic only makes the bench. Areola signed on loan from Paris-Saint Germain this week but joins Mitrovic among a surprisingly strong selection of substitutes.
Subs: Matt Macey, Bukayo Saka, Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah, Sead Kolasinac.
Arsenal (3-4-3): Bernd Leno; Rob Holding, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles; Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Subs: Alphonse Areola, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Anthony Knockaert, Bobby Reid, Maxime Le Marchand, Cyrus Christie, Andre Zambo Anguissa.
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Marek Rodak; Denis Odoi, Michael Hector, Tim Ream, Joe Bryan; Harrison Reed, Tom Cairney, Neeskens Kebano, Josh Onomah, Ivan Cavaleiro; Aboubakar Kamara.
There are new signings for both sides to welcome, with Willian the standout addition alongside increased defensive options for Arsenal. Fulham have not spent nearly as heavily as following their previous promotion, but World Cup winner Alphonse Areola is among their arrivals. Let’s see who starts…
The first match of the new season takes place here, with last term’s Championship play-off winners hosting the FA Cup holders at Craven Cottage. Fulham are hoping for a much better campaign than in 2018-19 when they were relegated, while Arsenal hope to move on from a tough year last time out as they finished eighth.
Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of the Premier League opener between Fulham and Arsenal!
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