Arsenal Take On Wolves in Pivotal Premier League Clash

The stage is set for a intriguing Premier League contest as front-runners Arsenal welcome struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.

Team News

Mikel Arteta's side have made a trio of alterations from the XI that suffered a narrow loss at Villa Park in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino are named on the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. The centre-back returns after missing a run of games due to injury.

The visitors also make three adjustments to their starting XI after being skelped 4-1 at home by United last time out. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan come in. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is omitted altogether.

Confirmed Lineups

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.

Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks

Preamble

Good evening! And I mean, look at this …

The standings paints a stark picture. Arsenal sit proudly at the summit of the Premier League, while their opponents prop up the division.

… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have faced the team propping up the entire table – with 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! So while the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another three points, the Wolves boss must know that underdogs occasionally succeed, and you never know. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Let's go!

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

Shelby Lamb
Shelby Lamb

Elara Vance is a space journalist and former astrophysics researcher with over a decade of experience covering space missions and technological advancements.