The Gunners Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Crucial Premier League Fixture
Focus shifts for a fascinating top-flight matchup as table-toppers Arsenal host bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Starting Lineups
Mikel Arteta's side have made a trio of alterations following the XI that suffered a narrow loss at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the starting eleven. The captain and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. Saliba returns after sitting out a run of games due to injury.
The visitors also have made three changes to their lineup after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by United last time out. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the substitutes, while Bellegarde is not in the squad 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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Preamble
Welcome! And I mean, let's be honest …
The table reveals a clear picture. Arsenal sit proudly at the pinnacle of the table, while Wolves anchor the division.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have taken on the team propping up the entire table – with 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are behind two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will surely be expecting another three points, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs occasionally find the target, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
(The other two bottom-beats-top victories in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Spurs – admittedly, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)