Arsenal embark on a fresh Premier League season at the Emirates as they host Gary O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.
After being the bridesmaid in consecutive campaigns, Mikel Arteta will be hoping this year is finally their year, with hopes of guiding Arsenal to their first league title in over two decades.
For Wolves, it’s a case of steadying the ship after losing two of their best players. Their former captain Max Kilman joined West Ham to reunite with old Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui, whilst star man Pedro Neto has signed for Chelsea in a club record sale.
Arsenal vs Wolves – Premier League Match Preview:
Form (Pre-season)
Arsenal: WWLWD
The Gunners have tested themselves against strong European opposition this summer, including Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen.
Overall, it’s been a successful pre-season for Mikel Arteta’s side with only one blot against their record, a narrow defeat to Liverpool in the US.
A comprehensive 4-1 dismantling of Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen is the pick of the bunch results-wise, but that wasn’t their only convincing performance. The North London side also triumphed over French outfit Lyon 2-0 and held their nerve to win two penalty shootouts against Bournemouth and Manchester United.
North London is ready. pic.twitter.com/9Gdkd7wtvE
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 17, 2024
Wolves: LWLW
Wolves have been unpredictable during the season’s preparations. Amidst treacherous conditions in Jacksonville, their first Stateside Cup game was positive with goals from Matheus Cunha and a brace from debutant Rodrigo Gomes enough to condemn West Ham to a 3-1 loss.
But only four days later, they were on the wrong end of a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. The Eagles were victorious against O’Neil’s men and West Ham to win the pre-season tournament.
The highlight of their pre-season was undoubtedly their penultimate friendly against Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, where Wolves conquered the German outfit 3-0, showing some fluid, free-flowing football in the process
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— Wolves (@Wolves) August 15, 2024
Despite that promising result, their final friendly disappointed after a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano. It’s hard to know which Wolves will show up to the Emirates this weekend, a venue they have only won once at in 13 attempts.
Last Meeting: Wolves 0-2 Arsenal, Premier League, 20th April 2024
Goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard were enough to see Arsenal win at Molineux back in April.
The Gunners were coming off the back of a torrid week that undid their hopes of trophy success. In Europe, they were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Bayern Munich. Between the two legs against the German giants, they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa at the Emirates in a result that derailed their title bid.
A dominant display in Wolverhampton reignited the spark as they collected maximum points from their last six league games.
Predicted Lineups:
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Rice, Partey, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard.
Wolves: Sa; Doherty, Dawson, Toti, Ait-Nouri; J.Gomes, Lemina, Sarabia; Cunha, Hwang, Strand Larsen
Who is the referee?
Jarred Gillet.
What channel is Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on?
This fixture is not accessible to watch live in the UK.
What time is kick-off?
Saturday 17th August, 15:00 BST
Odds
Arsenal: 1/5
Draw: 13/2
Wolverhampton Wanderers: 11/1
Read – Arsenal – Premier League Season Preview 2024/25
See more – Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend
