Arsenal Take On Wolves in Pivotal Premier League Fixture
The stage is set for a fascinating Premier League contest as table-toppers the Gunners host struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Starting Lineups
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for three changes from the team that endured a narrow defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all come into the starting eleven. The captain and Mikel Merino drop to the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. The centre-back returns after sitting out a run of games through injury.
The visitors also have made three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by Manchester United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Hoever and Arias drop to the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is not in the squad 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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Match Context
Good evening! Because, c’mon …
The table tells a clear picture. The hosts sit proudly at the pinnacle of the Premier League, while their opponents occupy the bottom of the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have played the team propping up the division – with 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be expecting another three points, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally succeed, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining bottom-beats-top wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Spurs – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)