Arsenal Take On Wolverhampton Wanderers in Crucial Premier League Encounter

All eyes turn for a compelling top-flight contest as league leaders Arsenal welcome rock-bottom Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.

Confirmed Sides

Arsenal have opted for three changes from the team that endured a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all start in the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder are named on the substitutes' bench, while the Italian defender is absent. The centre-back returns after missing five matches through injury.

Wolves also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United last time out. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, while Bellegarde is not in the squad altogether.

Starting Elevens

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Substitutes: 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

Welcome! And I mean, c’mon …

The standings tells a clear story. Arsenal sit proudly at the pinnacle of the Premier League, while Wolves anchor the division.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the top side have taken on the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – which team is responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots sometimes find the target, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!

^{(The remaining last-over-first victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)}