Arsenal will be looking to bounce back from their most recent setback in the Premier League when they face a Wolves side still within the relegation conversation.
Wolves can count their new manager bounce to be truly over following a third successive defeat in the Premier League that has brought them back into the relegation conversation ahead of the visit of Arsenal. Monday night’s disappointing outing at Stamford Bridge has kept them above 18th-placed Ipswich Town on goal difference, and they are set to take on yet another difficult opposition.
Vitor Pereira’s arrival to take over from Gary O’Neil did result in Wolves gathering seven points from the first nine on offer, but they have since lost their subsequent three games. The difficulty of the opposition played a part, as they were either in the top four or chasing a coveted UEFA Champions League spot. Now, there is another big test waiting in the form of Arsenal.
Wolves lost the reverse fixture at the Emirates with a 2-0 scoreline on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 Premier League season. Pereira will hope he can take advantage of the situation. However, this game could focus on the media stories linking attacker Matheus Cunha with a switch to the Gunners, among others. Still, Pereira will certainly want something from this clash if not a win.
Mikel Arteta’s side were back to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League after a disappointing outings in the Premier League last time out. Arsenal were cruising towards a win against Aston Villa when Kai Havertz doubled the advantage after Gabriel Martinelli had given the lead in the first half.
Instead of seeing out the game comfortably, the Gunners shot themselves in the foot by conceding twice to Aston Villa as Youri Tielemans first and then Ollie Watkins took advantage of defensive lapses. That was a huge setback for Arsenal in the title race, as they squandered the advantage over Liverpool acquired during the midweek fixtures before last weekend.
The Gunners are now six points behind the leaders, who also have a game in hand over the North Londoners. Arteta’s side responded well with a stellar Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, as goals from Declan Rice, Havertz, and Martin Odegaard sealed the points and potentially a top-eight finish in this season’s league phase.
Team News & Tactics
Wolves
Vitor Pereira continues to deal without injury-enforced absentees in his squad, as Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore, Enso Gonzalez and Yerson Mosquera are all out. Mario Lemina is also a doubt as he was left out of the squad last Monday due to a reported transfer speculation.
While the Gabonese midfielder is once again a doubt to play at the weekend, Wolves are facing a similar issue with Matheus Cunha, who has been incidentally linked with Arsenal, among other teams. Contrastingly, the Brazilian attacker is expected to start against the Gunners and play a role behind the striker, with Goncalo Guedes by his side.
With Lemina likely to stay out of the plans, Andre and Joao Gomes are expected to take the midfield spots. Pereira is also expected to keep a back three in place as Matt Doherty, Santiago Beuno, and Emmanuel Agbadou are likely to take their spots in the backline. Pereira did experiment by switching the wing-backs to opposite flanks, and he might revert to their original positions.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Jose Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou; Semedo, Gomes, Andre, Ait-Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Strand Larsen
Arsenal
There have been some positive news with the fitness of key defenders William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly, with Mikel Arteta suggesting their problems are not serious. The pair is still doubts for the weekend, meaning, the manager will have to make necessary tweaks to the backline.
Arteta started Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior against Dinamo Zagreb, but the pair might not start against Wolves. The former should keep his place if Arteta decides to use one of Kiwor or Riccardo Calafiori at the heart of the defence.
However, he might revert to the same back four as last weekend, with Thomas Partey at right-back and Jurrien Timber in Saliba’s place. Hence, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice are once again pencilled in for midfield roles, while Martin Odegaard keeps his place.
The decisions for the attacking unit will be interesting to see, with some of the forwards picking up form heading into this game. Arteta might look to rotate once more, meaning Leandro Trossard could get a start on the left flank, while Ethan Nwaneri could take up a position on the right, and the manager will have no option than start Kai Havertz in the leading role.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Partey, Timber, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Nwaneri, Havertz, Trossard
Key Stats
- Wolves have lost their last three Premier League games.
- Wolves have not kept a clean sheet against Arsenal since 1979.
- Arsenal have won their last seven matches against Wolves in all competitions.
- Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in six of their last eight away matches against Wolves in all competitions.
- Arsenal have won their last seven matches against Wolves in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Kai Havertz
The German international has been picking up form in front of the goal and responding to the many critics that have laid down their questions about the forward this month. With the transfer window ongoing, there is big talk of a new striker coming in this month, although Mikel Arteta is unlikely to bring someone to replace Havertz.
A goal and an assist on Wednesday, as well as a strike against Aston Villa last weekend, will have boosted Havertz’s confidence to a new level. Arteta will hope for the same from his star striker, as he is among the Arsenal forwards who have been picking up form of late.
Prediction
Wolves 1-3 Arsenal
Wolves are not in the best of form in the recent period, and with their new manager bounce visibly vanishing, they are once again in the relegation dogfight as they get set to host Arsenal. The Black Country outfit have lost their last three Premier League games to teams from the top half, and they are now set for the ultimate test in this period against Arsenal, which does point towards a fourth straight victory.
The Gunners might be missing William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly once more, but they remain one of the most formidable defensive units even without them. Moreover, Arsenal are clicking into gear in the final third, and that could see them win away at Molineux and set the record straight about their intentions in the title race. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Mikel Arteta and his charges.
