Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Pivotal English Top Division Encounter
All eyes turn for a compelling Premier League matchup as table-toppers the Gunners host rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.
Confirmed Sides
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for a trio of alterations from the team that endured a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in their previous outing. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all come into the starting eleven. Martin Ădegaard and the Spanish midfielder are named on the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. The centre-back is back after sitting out five matches due to injury.
Wolves also make three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by Manchester United on Monday evening. Matt Doherty, JoĂŁo Gomes and the South Korean forward start. Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the substitutes, while JeanâRicner Bellegarde is not in the squad altogether.
The Teams in Full
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Subs: 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! Because, câmon âŠ
The standings reveals a striking contrast. Arsenal sit comfortably at the summit of the Premier League, while their opponents anchor the league.
⊠however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have taken on the side at the foot of the division â winning 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games â which team is responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of course! So while the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be expecting another three points, the Wolves boss must know that underdogs occasionally succeed, and anything is possible. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. Itâs on!
(The other two 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 â admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)