The Gunners Host Wolves in Crucial Top-Flight Clash
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight matchup as table-toppers Arsenal entertain rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Confirmed Sides
Arsenal have made three changes following the XI that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park last weekend. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino drop to the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. Saliba is back after missing five matches due to injury.
The visitors also have made three adjustments to their starting XI following being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan come in. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is not in the squad 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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
The Setup
Good evening! And I mean, c’mon …
The standings reveals a stark picture. The hosts sit comfortably at the summit of the table, while their opponents 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 division – with 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! So while Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally find the target, and you never know. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Let's go!
(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, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)
