Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal Top-Flight Clash
The stage is set for a intriguing top-flight matchup as league leaders the Gunners welcome bottom-placed Wolves to the their home ground.
Confirmed Sides
Arsenal have made three changes following the team that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. The French defender, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the lineup. The captain and the Spanish midfielder are named on the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. The centre-back returns after missing five matches due to injury.
Wolves also have made three changes to their lineup following being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Hoever and Arias drop to the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
Starting Elevens
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.
Bench: 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, look at this …
The table tells a clear picture. The hosts sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the Premier League, while Wolves anchor the division.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the top side have taken on the team at the foot of the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – which team is behind two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally come off, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. The action is imminent!
(The other two last-over-first victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
