The Gunners Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key Top-Flight Encounter
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight contest as league leaders the Gunners entertain struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Starting Lineups
Mikel Arteta's side have introduced three changes from the side that suffered a narrow loss at Villa Park last weekend. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is absent. The centre-back returns after sitting out a run of games through injury.
The visitors also make three changes to their lineup following being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan start. Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Bellegarde misses out 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.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Preamble
Good evening! And I mean, let's be honest …
The table tells a clear story. Arsenal sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League, while their opponents occupy the bottom of the division.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have faced the team at the foot of the division – with 30 victories from 41, with seven draws – which team is behind two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! So while Mikel Arteta will surely be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss 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 other two bottom-beats-top wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
