The Gunners Take On Wolves in Pivotal English Top Division Fixture
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight matchup as league leaders Arsenal entertain struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Team News
Mikel Arteta's side have made three changes following the XI that suffered a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the starting eleven. The captain and Mikel Merino are named on the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. Saliba returns after sitting out five matches due to injury.
The visitors also make three adjustments to their lineup after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by United last time out. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan come in. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias are on the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
The Teams in Full
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Bench: 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.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Match Context
Welcome! And I mean, look at this …
The table tells a striking contrast. The hosts sit proudly at the summit of the table, while Wolves anchor the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have faced the team propping up the entire table – with 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another victory, the Wolves boss must know that underdogs sometimes succeed, and you never know. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. The action is imminent!
(The remaining last-over-first wins in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
