The Gunners Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal Top-Flight Fixture
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight contest as table-toppers the Gunners host bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Starting Lineups
Arsenal have introduced three changes following the team that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder drop to the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. The centre-back returns after missing five matches through injury.
Wolves also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward start. Hoever and Arias drop to 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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
The Setup
Welcome! Because, look at this …
The table paints a striking picture. The hosts sit comfortably at the summit of the Premier League, while Wolves anchor the division.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have played 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, that’s who! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be expecting another three points, the Wolves boss must know that long shots sometimes succeed, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. Let's go!
(The other two bottom-beats-top wins in the Premier League era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
