Arsenal Take On Wolves in Pivotal Top-Flight Fixture

The stage is set for a intriguing top-flight contest as league leaders the Gunners welcome bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.

Confirmed Sides

Arsenal have made three changes following the team that endured a narrow defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. The French defender, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba is back after sitting out five matches through injury.

The visitors also have made three adjustments to their starting XI after being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by United last time out. The experienced full-back, the Brazilian midfielder and the South Korean forward start. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while 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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.

Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks

The Setup

Good evening! Because, look at this …

The table reveals a stark picture. Arsenal sit comfortably at the summit of the Premier League, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the division.

… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have taken on the side at the foot of the division – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolves, that’s who! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally come off, and anything is possible. 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’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Spurs – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Alicia Pugh
Alicia Pugh

A digital strategist with over 15 years of experience in global business innovation and technology consulting across multiple industries.