The Gunners Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal Top-Flight Clash
The stage is set for a fascinating Premier League contest as front-runners Arsenal entertain rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Confirmed Sides
Mikel Arteta's side have introduced three changes following the team that endured a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, the Swedish striker and the Brazilian winger all start in the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder are named on the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. Saliba is back after missing a run of games due to injury.
The visitors also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being skelped 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United last time out. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward start. Hoever and Arias are on the substitutes, while Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
Confirmed Lineups
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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Match Context
Good evening! And I mean, let's be honest …
The table reveals 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 side propping up the division – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven draws – which team is responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolves, that’s who! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another victory, Rob Edwards must know that long shots sometimes come off, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining bottom-beats-top victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Spurs – admittedly, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)