Wolves vs Arsenal – News and Probable Lineups

Premier League leaders Arsenal will be aiming to extend their lead to seven points at the top as they head to Molineux to take on bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers this Wednesday evening.

The Gunners managed to fend off a late resurgence from the Old Gold in their previous encounter at Emirates Stadium two months back, clinching a 2-1 win thanks to a 94th-minute own goal from the opposing side.

Match overview

Arsenal has advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2020, the same campaign when Mikel Arteta secured his first and only major trophy thus far, following an impressive 4-0 home win over Wigan Athletic on Sunday, with all goals scored within the first 27 minutes.

Suggestions of a potential historic quadruple have surfaced as a result, but Arteta’s men will take it one match at a time, putting FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Champions League responsibilities on the back burner as they concentrate on their Premier League title chase for the first time in over twenty years.

Arsenal has shown commendable form, losing just one of their last 11 Premier League matches (W7 D3), yet a disappointing 1-1 draw at Brentford last week has allowed title contenders Manchester City to close the gap at the top to four points with 12 fixtures remaining, including a challenging match at the Etihad in April.

Heading to Molineux, the Gunners have secured victory in only three of their last eight Premier League away games (D4 L1), but they can draw encouragement from the fact that they have won their last 14 top-flight encounters against clubs in the relegation zone, boasting a remarkable aggregate score of 40-4 – the longest winning streak against teams in the bottom three (or bottom four in 1994-95) in the division’s record.

Moreover, Arsenal has triumphed in nine of their 11 Premier League visits to Wolves (L2) – their highest win rate against any opponent faced 10 or more times on the road (82%) – and they have also scored in each of their last 36 matchups with the Old Gold across all competitions. Historically in English football, only Wrexham has managed a longer scoring streak against a rival (49 against Darlington from 1929 to 1961).

Like Arsenal, Wolves booked their spot in the FA Cup fifth round after overcoming a gritty contest played in challenging conditions at Blundell Park, securing a 1-0 victory over fourth-tier side Grimsby Town on Sunday, thanks to a knee goal scored by Santiago Bueno in the second half.

This triumph came just four days after they faced a barrage of 35 shots at goal but managed to secure a point in a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, meaning Rob Edwards’s squad has now accumulated six out of nine available points this season since the start of the new year.

However, Wolves remain in a perilous position, sitting at the bottom of the table, currently 18 points from safety with just 12 matches remaining. They will be eager to register at least three more points before the season concludes to avoid surpassing Derby County’s lowest points total (11) set in the 2007-08 season.

The team from the West Midlands has faced 10 defeats in 13 Premier League home encounters this campaign (W1 D2), with only Southampton last season recording 10 home losses in fewer fixtures (12); Wolves have only endured more home defeats in a single top-flight season on two prior occasions: 11 in 1964-65 and 13 in 2011-12.

Wolves will find it challenging to improve their home form on Wednesday, having lost their last nine Premier League meetings with Arsenal since successfully achieving the double over the Gunners in the 2020-21 season. Additionally, they have lost 16 of their 20 Premier League matches against teams that started the day at the top of the table (W3 D1), managing wins against Man United in January 2004 and February 2011, as well as against Manchester City in September 2023.

Team News

For Arsenal, Mikel Merino (foot), Kai Havertz (muscle), and Max Dowman (ankle) remain unavailable due to injuries. Meanwhile, captain Martin Odegaard missed the Gunners’ FA Cup victory over Wigan after sustaining a knee injury during the Premier League draw against Brentford last week.

Odegaard will undergo an evaluation ahead of kick-off, along with defensive duo Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White, the former having to withdraw from the matchday squad shortly before kickoff against Wigan due to an unspecified issue, and the latter being substituted in the second half because of cramps.

On a positive note, William Saliba has recovered from illness and played for an hour against Wigan. The French defender is likely to keep his place in defense, and Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Piero Hincapie are all expected to be recalled after being rested over the weekend.

After returning from a hip issue, Bukayo Saka came on for Calafiori in the starting XI versus Wigan – marking his first appearance in any competition since January 25 – and he is likely to remain on the right side of the front three alongside Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard.

However, Noni Madueke has scored in his last two Premier League away matches and has also netted more top-flight goals against Wolves than versus any other side, with his four goals against them making up 27% of his total in the league (4/15), so Arteta may look for a way to include the winger in his starting lineup.

As for Wolves, Hwang Hee-Chan will be absent for several weeks due to a calf injury, while Wednesday’s fixture is expected to be too early for Toti Gomes, who has been out with a hamstring injury since playing in the previous 2-1 defeat against Arsenal in December.

Edwards made just one substitution during the victory at Grimsby – in the 89th minute – so he might choose to rotate his squad in several positions, considering players like Jose Sa, Matt Doherty, Hugo Bueno, Rodrigo Gomes, and January addition Angel Gomes are all pushing for a spot in the lineup.

Tolu Arokodare scored in the earlier fixture at the Emirates and is expected to lead the attack alongside new signing Adam Armstrong, while 18-year-old prospect Mateus Mane is set to take on an advanced midfield role in front of Joao Gomes and either Angel Gomes or Andre.

Wolves probable starting XI:

Sa; Mosquera, S. Bueno, Krejci; R. Gomes, A. Gomes, Mane, J. Gomes, H. Bueno; Armstrong, Arokodare

Arsenal probable starting XI:

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Zubimendi, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Wolves showed commendable resilience in their last encounter with Arsenal, and under Edwards’s leadership, they could once again cause problems for the Gunners on home turf, suggesting a closely-fought clash is possible.

Nevertheless, Arteta and his squad are eager to correct the mistakes from their draw against Brentford last time out and should possess adequate quality in their team – including key players rested from the weekend – to secure the victory and put themselves seven points clear at the summit.