Arsenal Take On Wolves in Crucial Top-Flight Fixture
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight matchup as front-runners Arsenal entertain struggling Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
Team News
Arsenal have introduced three changes from the team that endured a narrow loss at Villa Park last weekend. The French defender, the Swedish striker and the Brazilian winger all start in the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. The centre-back is back after missing a run of games through injury.
The visitors also have made three adjustments to their starting XI following being skelped 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and the South Korean forward come in. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias are on the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
The Teams in Full
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Norgaard, Trossard, Madueke, Nwaneri, Merino, Lewis-Skelly.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Johnstone, Mosquera, Agbadou, Toti Gomes, Doherty, Joao Gomes, Andre Trindade, Krejci, Wolfe, Larsen, Hwang.
Bench: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
The Setup
Welcome! And I mean, c’mon …
The standings paints a stark story. The hosts sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the table, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have faced the side propping up the division – with 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another three points, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally come off, and you never know. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining last-over-first victories in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
