The Gunners Face Wolves in Crucial Top-Flight Encounter

All eyes turn for a fascinating Premier League matchup as table-toppers the Gunners host struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the their home ground.

Team News

Arsenal have opted for a trio of alterations following the side that endured a narrow loss at Aston Villa last weekend. The French defender, the Swedish striker and the Brazilian winger all come into the starting eleven. The captain and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba returns after sitting out a run of games through injury.

The visitors also have made three changes to their lineup following being heavily defeated 4-1 at home by Manchester United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan are recalled. Ki-Jana Hoever and Jhon Arias are on the bench, while Bellegarde is not in the squad altogether.

Confirmed Lineups

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
VAR Official: John Brooks

Match Context

Good evening! Because, look at this …

The standings tells a clear contrast. The hosts sit comfortably at the summit of the Premier League, while Wolves prop up the division.

… 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 victories from 41, with seven tied games – who are behind two of the four historical shocks? Why, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be anticipating another three points, the Wolves boss must know that long shots sometimes succeed, and you never know. The start is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!

^{(The other two last-over-first wins in the Premier League era are Oldham Athletic's 1-0 win over United in March 1993, and Tottenham Hotspur – admittedly, this one sounds a bit weird - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)}