Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal Top-Flight Encounter
Focus shifts for a intriguing Premier League matchup as league leaders the Gunners entertain rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Starting Lineups
Mikel Arteta's side have made three changes from the side that suffered a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa last weekend. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all start in the lineup. The captain and the Spanish midfielder are named on the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. The centre-back returns after missing five matches due to injury.
The visitors also make three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by Manchester United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan start. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Bellegarde misses out 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
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
Preamble
Welcome! And I mean, look at this …
The table paints a clear story. Arsenal sit proudly at the top of the table, while Wolves occupy the bottom of the league.
… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have taken on the team at the foot of the entire table – with 30 victories from 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, that’s who! So while the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be anticipating another victory, Rob Edwards must know that long shots sometimes succeed, and you never know. The start is at 8pm GMT. Let's go!
(The remaining last-over-first victories in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)
