The Gunners Face Wolves in Crucial English Top Division Clash
All eyes turn for a fascinating Premier League matchup as table-toppers the Gunners entertain rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Team News
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for a trio of alterations from the XI that endured a narrow defeat at Villa Park last weekend. The French defender, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all come into the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. The centre-back is back after sitting out 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 last time out. Matt Doherty, the Brazilian midfielder and the South Korean forward come in. Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
The Teams in Full
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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Match Official: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Preamble
Good evening! And I mean, c’mon …
The standings reveals a striking contrast. Arsenal sit proudly at the pinnacle of the Premier League, while their opponents prop up the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have taken on the side propping up the division – with 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are behind two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will surely be expecting another three points, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs sometimes find the target, 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 Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)