Focus shifts for a fascinating Premier League contest as table-toppers the Gunners host struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta's side have opted for three changes from the XI that suffered a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. William Saliba, Viktor Gyökeres and the Brazilian winger all come into the lineup. Martin Ødegaard and the Spanish midfielder drop to the bench, while the Italian defender is absent. Saliba is back after missing five matches through injury.
Wolves also make three changes to their starting XI after being heavily defeated 4-1 at Molineux by United last time out. Matt Doherty, João Gomes and the South Korean forward are recalled. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the bench, while Bellegarde is omitted altogether.
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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks
Good evening! And I mean, c’mon …
The standings paints a striking story. The hosts sit proudly at the top of the Premier League, while their opponents anchor the division.
… however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have played the team propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven tied games – which team is responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly be anticipating another three points, the Wolves boss must know that long shots sometimes come off, and you never know. The start is at 8pm GMT. Let's go!
(The remaining bottom-beats-top wins in the modern top-flight era are Oldham’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in March 1993, and Spurs – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)
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