The Gunners Face Wolves in Pivotal Premier League Clash

Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight contest as front-runners the Gunners host bottom-placed Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.

Confirmed Sides

Mikel Arteta's side have opted for a trio of alterations following the XI that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all come into the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino drop to the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. The centre-back is back after missing five matches due to injury.

Wolves also have made three changes to their starting XI following being skelped 4-1 at home by United last time out. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, while Bellegarde is omitted 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.

Referee: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks

Preamble

Welcome! And I mean, c’mon …

The table tells a stark contrast. Arsenal sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the table, while Wolves prop up the division.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have played the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolves, that’s who! So while Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be expecting another three points, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs sometimes come off, and anything is possible. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Let's go!

(The other two bottom-beats-top wins in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster

A seasoned sports analyst with a decade of experience in betting strategies and odds analysis.