The Gunners Face Wolves in Key Top-Flight Clash
All eyes turn for a compelling top-flight matchup as table-toppers the Gunners entertain rock-bottom Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
Starting Lineups
Arsenal have made a trio of alterations following the XI that endured a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all start in the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder 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 make three changes to their starting XI after being skelped 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, the Brazilian midfielder and Hwang Hee-chan come in. Ki-Jana 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.
Match Official: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
The Setup
Welcome! And I mean, let's be honest …
The standings tells a clear story. The hosts sit proudly at the summit of the table, while their opponents occupy the bottom of the division.
… yet while this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have taken on the team propping up the division – with 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – which team is behind two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! So while Mikel Arteta will surely be expecting another victory, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs sometimes succeed, and you never know. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!
(The other two last-over-first victories in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
