Arsenal Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key Premier League Encounter
All eyes turn for a compelling top-flight matchup as front-runners the Gunners entertain struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Confirmed Sides
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for three changes following the side that endured a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all come into the lineup. The captain and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba returns after sitting out five matches through injury.
The visitors also have made three changes to their starting XI following being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by Manchester United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan are recalled. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the substitutes, while Bellegarde misses out 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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Preamble
Welcome! And I mean, look at this …
The table tells a stark picture. The hosts sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League, while Wolves anchor the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have faced the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 victories from 41, with seven draws – who are behind two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! So while the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another three points, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs occasionally succeed, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
(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 Spurs – yeah, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)
