The Gunners Host Wolverhampton Wanderers in Crucial Premier League Fixture
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight matchup as table-toppers Arsenal entertain bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Team News
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for three changes following the XI that suffered a narrow loss at Aston Villa in their previous outing. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the starting eleven. The captain and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. The centre-back returns after sitting out five matches due to injury.
Wolves also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United last time out. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and the South Korean forward come in. Hoever and Arias are on 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.
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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Match Official: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Match Context
Welcome! And I mean, look at this …
The table reveals a striking contrast. The hosts sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the table, while their opponents prop up the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd time the top side have faced the team at the foot of the entire table – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolves, that’s who! So while the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss must know that underdogs sometimes succeed, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. The action is imminent!
(The remaining last-over-first wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)