Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Crucial English Top Division Encounter
All eyes turn for a compelling top-flight contest as league leaders Arsenal entertain bottom-placed Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.
Starting Lineups
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for three changes following the side that endured a narrow loss at Aston Villa last weekend. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and the Brazilian winger are all included in the starting eleven. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino are named on the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba returns after sitting out a run of games through injury.
The visitors also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being skelped 4-1 at home by Manchester United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Jean‐Ricner 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.
Subs: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks
The Setup
Welcome! Because, look at this …
The standings reveals a stark story. The hosts sit proudly at the summit of the table, while Wolves prop up the league.
… 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 tied games – who are behind two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be anticipating another victory, the Wolves boss must know that long shots occasionally find the target, and you never know. The start 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 Manchester United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)