Arsenal will take on Wolves on the season’s final day as Mikel Arteta hopes to end the campaign on a positive note.
It has not been a good few weeks being an Arsenal supporter ahead of the game against Wolves, as the title slipped away from their hands following some dismal results. At one stage, the Gunners seemed in control of the race, but some valuable dropped points away to Liverpool and West Ham and then the home draw to Southampton landed a killer blow to their ambitions.
Mikel Arteta has expressed his disappointments but never blamed his players. This young squad has shown their capabilities and could come back to challenge next season. For now, the focus shifts to the Emirates before fans re-calibrate themselves for what has been described as a massive summer window ahead.
Let's finish strong. Together ✊ pic.twitter.com/WFEl8i4rnW
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 27, 2023
Last weekend, Arsenal went away to Nottingham Forest and came away with nothing. That result handed Manchester City the title even before they kicked the ball against Chelsea. Since then, it has been a positive week in north London with Bukayo Saka’s new contract, which killed the tension many fans have had. Arteta’s men will look to end the season on a high as they welcome Wolves.
Julen Lopetegui hopes to end the season positively after disappointing outcomes in the last few weeks. Results earlier under his tenure may have given Wolves a cushion in the relegation race. Still, their recent wins over Crystal Palace and Aston Villa secured their passage into next season.
Media speculation suggests Lopetegui may consider his future at Molineux after learning of spending restrictions in the summer. He may have wanted to build on something for next season, but that may not materialise. The Spaniard will hope to end his short but successful tenure on a high note, but recent results do not indicate that.
Last weekend, Wolves were undone by a Yerry Mina equaliser deep into stoppage time. That goal was considered the latest Premier League goal this season, leaving Lopetegui ruing at the additional time awarded in the game. As for Arsenal, the manager will not have fond memories, having seen his Sevilla side beaten by six goals during pre-season at the Emirates.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta will tinker with his eleven as more players suffer from problems ahead of the last day of the season. He has mentioned Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard have problems and may not feature against Wolves. It leaves the manager with other choices, with Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah available to fill in.
🗞️ The boss issued an injury update on three of our Gunners ahead of Wolves 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 26, 2023
Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko will miss this clash. Arteta will hope to have them ready for pre-season. The manager might also reshuffle his backline after the unwanted experiment against Nottingham Forest.
Granit Xhaka could play for the last time in an Arsenal shirt, along with a few others. The Swiss midfielder will start as Arteta might ponder recalling Thomas Partey into his usual role at the base of midfield. Jorginho might return to the bench, while Kieran Tierney should return at left-back.
In the attack, Jesus will likely lead the line but could go wide if Arteta prefers Nketiah to lead the line. In that scenario, it leaves room for another attacker to come into the wide areas. Nelson is ahead of Smith-Rowe in that aspect, with the soon-to-be out-of-contract attacker likely to replace Saka on the right.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Ben White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Nelson, Nketiah, Jesus
Wolves
Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic are the only potential absentees ahead of the trip to London. Beyond those two, Julen Lopetegui will have a full squad to choose from, with the manager expected to provide minutes to some notable names.
🇰🇷🗣
— Wolves (@Wolves) May 23, 2023
Those may include Raul Jimenez, who may depart the club in the close season. The Mexican might get some minutes from the bench but cannot make it into the starting lineup. Hwang Hee-chan and Pablo Sarabia might retain their places in the front two, thus keeping Matheus Cunha on the bench.
Lopetegui might structure his lineup to thwart the attacking threat of Arsenal and may set up a 4-4-2 in response. Adama Traore and Daniel Podence have been preferred in the last many games on the wings, while Joao Gomes and Ruben Neves will hold their central midfield berths.
Max Kilman could replace Craig Dawson at the back, with Nathan Collins keeping his place. Nelson Semedo and Toti will start as the full-backs, while Daniel Bentley might keep out Jose Sa for the fourth game running.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Bentley; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Toti; Traore, Neves, Gomes, Podence; Hee-Chan, Sarabia
Key Stats
- Arsenal have an all-time high 70% win percentage in Gameweek 38.
- Arsenal have won their last three matches against Wolverhampton in all competitions.
- Arsenal have won one of their last five Premier League home games against Wolves.
- Wolves have fallen to defeat in each of their last five final-day matches.
- Wolves come into this game with two wins in their last six league games.
Player To Watch
Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka, expected to play his final game as Arsenal player on Sunday then he will complete his permanent move to Bayer Leverkusen. ⚪️🔴👋🏻 #AFC
Final details to be sorted next week but deal almost agreed as revealed two weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/P7e5tZSldM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 26, 2023
In 2019, under Unai Emery, Granit Xhaka was stripped of the captaincy following his incident with the fans while playing Crystal Palace. In what is described as one of the top redemptions in football, the same supporters may give an emotional farewell to one of their current favourites.
Xhaka looks increasingly likely to leave Arsenal and move back to Germany. He has been a leader, and fans who have loved watching Arsenal this season will severely miss his presence. It will also be an emotional ride for the Swiss midfielder as he looks to end his time on a high in front of the home crowd.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-0 Wolves
The Gunners have secured the second spot and will play with the handbrake off in this game. Wolves are also contesting a dead rubber, but Arsenal’s home advantage could play a big role at the Emirates. Mikel Arteta will hope to finish the season on a high note, which could produce goals like last season.
Since the Gunners have gone two games without scoring for the first time this season, they might not produce a goals-galore. Yet, Arsenal could finish with the three points and look to keep a clean sheet against Julen Lopetegui’s men.
