The Gunners Host Wolves in Pivotal Premier League Encounter

Focus shifts for a fascinating Premier League matchup as front-runners Arsenal host rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.

Confirmed Sides

Mikel Arteta's side have made a trio of alterations following the side that endured a narrow defeat at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, the Swedish striker and Gabriel Martinelli are all included in the lineup. The captain and Mikel Merino are named on the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is not involved. The centre-back returns after sitting out a run of games through injury.

Wolves also have made three changes to their lineup after being soundly beaten 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, João Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan start. Hoever and Jhon Arias drop to the substitutes, while Bellegarde is omitted 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.
Substitutes: Tchatchoua, Mane, Lopez, Hoever, Chirewa, Arokodare, Arias, Santiago Bueno, Jose Sa.

Referee: Robert Jones
VAR Official: John Brooks

Preamble

Good evening! Because, look at this …

The table reveals a clear story. The hosts sit comfortably at the pinnacle of the table, while their opponents occupy the bottom of the league.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd occasion the Premier League leaders have taken on the side propping up the entire table – winning 30 out of 41, with seven draws – which team is behind two of the four all-time upsets? Why, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another three points, Rob Edwards must know that underdogs occasionally come off, and anything is possible. The start is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!

^{(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 Tottenham Hotspur – yeah, this one sounds a bit weird - defeating Liverpool in November 2008.)}