Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal Top-Flight Encounter
All eyes turn for a fascinating Premier League matchup as league leaders the Gunners welcome bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Team News
Arsenal have opted for three changes from the side that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, the Swedish striker and the Brazilian winger all come into the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder are named on the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. The centre-back is back after missing a run of games through injury.
Wolves also make three changes to their lineup following being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by Manchester United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward start. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde misses out altogether.
The Teams in Full
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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
The Setup
Good evening! And I mean, look at this …
The standings tells a clear picture. The hosts sit proudly at the pinnacle of the table, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have faced the side propping up the entire table – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – which team is responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be expecting another three points, Rob Edwards must know that long shots occasionally find the target, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Let's go!
(The remaining bottom-beats-top victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Spurs – admittedly, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
