The Gunners Face Wolves in Crucial English Top Division Clash

All eyes turn for a compelling top-flight contest as front-runners the Gunners host struggling Wolves to the their home ground.

Team News

Mikel Arteta's side have opted for three changes following the team that suffered a 2-1 loss at Villa Park last weekend. The French defender, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the lineup. Martin Ƙdegaard and Mikel Merino are named on the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. The centre-back returns after missing a run of games due to injury.

Wolves also have made three changes to their starting XI after being skelped 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, JoĆ£o Gomes and the South Korean forward start. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.

Starting Elevens

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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.

Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks

Preamble

Good evening! And I mean, c’mon …

The standings reveals a stark contrast. The hosts sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the division.

… yet while this will be the 42nd time the top side have played the side propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – who are behind two of the four historical shocks? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! So while the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another three points, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs occasionally find the target, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Let's go!

(The other two last-over-first wins in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Spurs – admittedly, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Tina Peters
Tina Peters

A seasoned business strategist with over 15 years of experience in corporate innovation and digital transformation.