Arsenal Face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Key Premier League Clash

Focus shifts for a fascinating Premier League contest as table-toppers the Gunners welcome struggling Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.

Confirmed Sides

Mikel Arteta's side have opted for a trio of alterations from the XI that endured a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. William Saliba, the Swedish striker and the Brazilian winger all start in the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is not involved. The centre-back is back after missing a run of games due to injury.

The visitors also make three adjustments to their starting XI following being skelped 4-1 at home by United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, the Brazilian midfielder and Hwang Hee-chan come in. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the substitutes, 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.

Referee: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks

Preamble

Welcome! Because, c’mon …

The standings paints a striking contrast. Arsenal sit proudly at the pinnacle of the table, while their opponents prop up the league.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the top side have played the side propping up the entire table – with 30 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are responsible for two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another three points, the Wolves boss must know that long shots sometimes come off, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. The action is imminent!

(The other two bottom-beats-top wins in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Spurs – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)

Andrew Conley
Andrew Conley

A seasoned casino analyst with over a decade of experience in gaming strategies and slot machine mechanics.