Arsenal Face Wolves in Crucial English Top Division Fixture
All eyes turn for a compelling top-flight contest as table-toppers Arsenal welcome rock-bottom Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
Team News
Mikel Arteta's side have made three changes from the side that endured a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all start in the lineup. The captain and the Spanish midfielder are named on the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba is back after missing a run of games due to injury.
The visitors also have made three adjustments to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United last time out. The experienced full-back, the Brazilian midfielder and the South Korean forward start. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias drop to the substitutes, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is not in the squad altogether.
Starting Elevens
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.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
The Setup
Good evening! Because, look at this …
The standings paints a striking contrast. Arsenal sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the table, while their opponents anchor the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have taken on the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – who are behind two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, that’s who! So while Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be anticipating another victory, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs sometimes succeed, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining bottom-beats-top victories in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)
