The Gunners Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key English Top Division Encounter

Focus shifts for a compelling top-flight matchup as front-runners the Gunners entertain struggling Wolves to the their home ground.

Team News

Mikel Arteta's side have opted for a trio of alterations from the XI that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the lineup. The captain and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is absent. The centre-back is back after sitting out five matches due to injury.

The visitors also make three changes to their starting XI following being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by United last time out. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan start. Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, while Bellegarde is not in the squad altogether.

The Teams in Full

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Substitutes: 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.

Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks

Match Context

Welcome! And I mean, look at this …

The table paints a striking contrast. Arsenal sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League, while their opponents prop up the league.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have faced the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – which team is behind two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! So while the Arsenal manager will surely be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss must know that underdogs sometimes succeed, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. The action is imminent!

(The other two last-over-first wins in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Eric Mcclure
Eric Mcclure

Elara is a seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in casino reviews and strategy development.