The Gunners Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key English Top Division Encounter
Focus shifts for a fascinating Premier League matchup as league leaders the Gunners welcome bottom-placed Wolves to the their home ground.
Team News
Mikel Arteta's side have made a trio of alterations following the XI that endured a 2-1 loss at Villa Park last weekend. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger are all included in the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder drop to the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. The centre-back is back after sitting out five matches due to injury.
The visitors also make three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by United last time out. The experienced full-back, the Brazilian midfielder and the South Korean forward are recalled. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the bench, while Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
Confirmed Lineups
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.
Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Preamble
Good evening! Because, look at this …
The standings tells a clear picture. Arsenal sit proudly at the summit of the Premier League, while Wolves prop up the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have played the team at the foot of the division – with 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – which team is behind two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! So while Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another victory, Rob Edwards must know that long shots occasionally find the target, and you never know. The start is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!
(The remaining last-over-first victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)
