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Focus shifts for a fascinating Premier League contest as league leaders the Gunners welcome struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium.

Confirmed Sides

Mikel Arteta's side have opted for a trio of alterations following the XI that suffered a narrow loss at Aston Villa in their previous outing. The French defender, Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Martinelli all start in the lineup. The captain and Mikel Merino are named on the substitutes' bench, while Riccardo Calafiori is absent. Saliba returns after sitting out a run of games through injury.

Wolves also have made three changes to their starting XI following being skelped 4-1 at Molineux by United on Monday evening. The experienced full-back, the Brazilian midfielder and Hwang Hee-chan are recalled. Ki-Jana Hoever and Arias drop to the bench, while Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is not in the squad altogether.

Confirmed Lineups

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Subs: 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.

Match Official: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: John Brooks

Match Context

Welcome! And I mean, c’mon …

The standings paints a stark picture. The hosts sit proudly at the top of the table, while their opponents occupy the bottom of the league.

… however, even though this will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have taken on the team at the foot of the division – with 30 out of 41, with seven draws – which team is behind two of the four historical shocks? Indeed, Wolves, of course! Therefore, although the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly be expecting another victory, Rob Edwards must know that long shots occasionally come off, and you never know. Kick-off is at 8 o'clock in the evening GMT. It’s on!

^{(The remaining 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, a surprising one - beating Liverpool in November 2008.)}