The Gunners Host Wolves in Crucial Top-Flight Clash
All eyes turn for a intriguing top-flight matchup as table-toppers the Gunners welcome bottom-placed Wolves to the their home ground.
Team News
Mikel Arteta's side have introduced a trio of alterations from the XI that suffered a narrow defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. Saliba returns after missing five matches through injury.
The visitors also make three adjustments to their lineup following being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan are recalled. Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the substitutes, while Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
The Teams in Full
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.
Referee: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
The Setup
Good evening! And I mean, let's be honest …
The table tells a striking story. Arsenal sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd time the top side have taken on the team propping up the division – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another victory, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs occasionally succeed, and anything is possible. The start is at 8pm GMT. Let's go!
(The other two bottom-beats-top wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Spurs – admittedly, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)
