The Gunners Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal English Top Division Encounter
All eyes turn for a fascinating Premier League contest as league leaders the Gunners welcome rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Team News
Arsenal have opted for three changes following the team that endured a narrow loss at Aston Villa in their previous outing. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all come into the lineup. The captain and Mikel Merino are named on 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 make three adjustments to their starting XI after being soundly beaten 4-1 at home by United last time out. Matt Doherty, the Brazilian midfielder and the South Korean forward start. Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, 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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Match Official: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Preamble
Good evening! And I mean, c’mon …
The table paints a stark contrast. Arsenal sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League, while Wolves anchor the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have played the team at the foot of the division – winning 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for 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 long shots sometimes come off, and you never know. The start is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
(The other two bottom-beats-top victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)