The Gunners Host Wolves in Pivotal Top-Flight Fixture
The stage is set for a intriguing top-flight contest as front-runners the Gunners host bottom-placed Wolves to the their home ground.
Starting Lineups
Mikel Arteta's side have introduced a trio of alterations following the team that endured a narrow defeat at Villa Park last weekend. The French defender, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder are named on the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba returns after sitting out five matches due to injury.
The visitors also make three adjustments to their starting XI after being skelped 4-1 at home by Manchester United last time out. Matt Doherty, the Brazilian midfielder and Hwang Hee-chan come in. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde misses out altogether.
The Teams in Full
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Substitutes: 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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Preamble
Good evening! And I mean, look at this …
The standings paints a stark contrast. Arsenal sit proudly at the top of the table, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have faced the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will surely be anticipating another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots sometimes find the target, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining last-over-first wins in the Premier League era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)