The Gunners Host Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key English Top Division Fixture

The stage is set for a intriguing Premier League contest as table-toppers the Gunners entertain struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.

Starting Lineups

Mikel Arteta's side have made a trio of alterations from the XI that suffered a 2-1 loss at Villa Park in their previous outing. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli all come into the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino drop to the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba returns after sitting out a run of games due to injury.

The visitors also make three adjustments to their starting XI after being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and the South Korean forward start. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Bellegarde misses out altogether.

The Teams in Full

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.

Match Official: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks

Preamble

Good evening! Because, look at this …

The standings tells a stark story. The hosts sit proudly at the summit of the table, while their opponents prop up the league.

… yet while this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have faced the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Indeed, Wolves, that’s who! So while Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be expecting another victory, the Wolves boss must know that underdogs occasionally come off, and anything is possible. The start is at 8pm GMT. Let's go!

(The remaining bottom-beats-top wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, a surprising one - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Timothy Bowers
Timothy Bowers

A Berlin-based web developer and digital strategist with over 8 years of experience in creating user-centric online solutions.