Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key Top-Flight Encounter

Focus shifts for a fascinating Premier League contest as front-runners the Gunners welcome rock-bottom Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.

Team News

Arsenal have opted for a trio of alterations following the team that endured a narrow loss at Aston Villa last weekend. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino are named on the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. Saliba returns after missing five matches due to injury.

Wolves also make three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan are recalled. Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde misses out 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

Preamble

Welcome! And I mean, let's be honest …

The standings tells a clear picture. The hosts sit comfortably at the summit of the Premier League, while Wolves prop up the division.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have taken on the side at the foot of the division – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! So while Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be expecting another victory, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs sometimes find the target, and anything is possible. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. The action is imminent!

(The remaining last-over-first wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Juan Kelley
Juan Kelley

Mikael Voss is a seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino reviews and slot game strategy development.