The Gunners Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal Top-Flight Fixture
The stage is set for a compelling Premier League contest as league leaders the Gunners entertain bottom-placed Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
Starting Lineups
Arsenal have opted for a trio of alterations from the XI that endured a narrow loss at Villa Park last weekend. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all come into the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is absent. Saliba is back after sitting out a run of games through injury.
Wolves also make three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United last time out. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan are recalled. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
Confirmed Lineups
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
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Preamble
Welcome! Because, c’mon …
The standings reveals a clear story. The hosts sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the table, while their opponents anchor the division.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have faced the team propping up the division – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – who are behind two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolves, that’s who! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally find the target, and anything is possible. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Let's go!
(The remaining bottom-beats-top victories in the Premier League era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
