2 hours ago
1
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
The top-versus-bottom thing isn’t the only historical shadow looming over Wolves tonight. They’ve lost their last nine Premier League matches against Arsenal on the bounce. You have to go back to February 2021 for their last win over the Gunners; in fact they did the double over Mikel Arteta’s side that season. (Trigger warning: both matches were played behind closed doors for obvious reasons, so you may not want to go back.)
In the interests of balance, here’s what happened in this fixture last season. Revisit the fume!
Wolves make three changes to the team that started the goalless draw at Nottingham Forest last Wednesday. André, Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde and Jackson Tchatchoua come in for Rodrigo Gomes, João Gomes and Tolu Arokodare, who all drop to the bench.
Arsenal make four changes to the XI that began the 1-1 draw at Brentford last Thursday. Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli are back; Eberechi Eze,
Leandro Trossard and Cristhian Mosquera step down.
The teams
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Krejci, Tchatchoua, Angel Gomes, Andre, Hugo Bueno, Mane, Bellegarde, Armstrong.
Subs: Johnstone, Doherty, Wolfe, Joao Gomes, Arokodare, Pedro Lima, Rodrigo Gomes, Rawlings, Edozie.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Madueke, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, Gabriel Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly.
Referee: Paul Tierney
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Preamble
The preamble from the reverse fixture two months ago bears repeating. Because, I mean, c’mon …
… yet while this will be the 42nd 43rd time the Premier League leaders have played the side propping up the entire table - winning 30 out of 41 31 out of 42, with seven draws – who are responsible for two of the four historical shocks? Why, Wolverhampton Wanderers, that’s who! Click below to reminisce, my old MBM pals. So while Mikel Arteta will surely be anticipating another three points, Rob Edwards must know that long shots sometimes find the target, and you never know. They nearly pulled off a shock at the Emirates back in December, after all. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
(The other two bottom-beats-top victories in the Premier League era are Oldham’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. We don’t have a link to the former pre-internet match, but here’s one to the latter, which features an in-no-way-doctored photo of Harry Redknapp flooring it in a Ford Cortina.)
