The Gunners Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key English Top Division Clash
The stage is set for a fascinating top-flight matchup as league leaders Arsenal entertain rock-bottom Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
Confirmed Sides
Arsenal have made a trio of alterations following the side that endured a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. Saliba returns after sitting out five matches due to injury.
Wolves also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by United last time out. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward come in. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, while Bellegarde misses out 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.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Preamble
Welcome! Because, look at this …
The standings tells a clear contrast. Arsenal sit comfortably at the summit of the table, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the league.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the top side have faced the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be expecting another three points, Rob Edwards must know that long shots occasionally succeed, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining last-over-first victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Spurs – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)