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Arsenal v Wolves – Match Preview

Arsenal host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates on Sunday evening, with both sides trying to avoid a third game in-a-row without a win.

Here’s all you need to know about Sunday’s Premier League fixture:

Form & Team News

Arsenal: WWLDW

After the high of their win at Old Trafford at the start of the month, it’s all fallen a little flat for the Gunners following two underwhelming displays.

Their most recent fixture saw them outplayed by Marcelo Bielsa’s rampant Leeds side at Elland Road, with a red card to wideman Nicolas Pepe for an idiotic headbutt putting Mikel Arteta’s side on the back foot for the majority of the second half.

To their credit – and with a lot of thanks to the woodwork – Arsenal frustrated their newly-promoted opponents, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw after a solid defensive effort from the away side.

While they’d not exactly been at their best in the first half, the loss of Pepe made life even more difficult for the Gunners, with Arteta rightly furious with the £72m man in his post-match interview.

What will have concerned the Spaniard, however, is that it was yet another game in which his side failed to score, with even the 11-men of Arsenal not looking particularly threatening, even with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moved back into a more central position.

Whether the Gabon international remains there at the weekend remains to be seen, although Arteta will have to make an enforced change due to Pepe’s suspension. Defender David Luiz should be able to return, although both Willian and Bukayo Saka are doubts after picking up knocks at the weekend.

The Gunners, and Pepe, got back to winning way with a 3-0 win over Norwegian side Molde on Thursday to qualify for the Europa League knockout stages

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Wolves: WDWLD

While it’s been a chaotic start to the current Premier League campaign for a number of clubs, Wolves appear to have somewhat slid under the radar so far.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s once again find themselves in the top half of the table, although have been somewhat outshone after having looked the most likely contender to challenge the big six before the season began.

With Aston Villa, Everton and Southampton all enjoying fine starts to the term, Wolves have just quietly gone about their business, picking up four wins and two draws from their opening nine games.

Their last two results, however, have been somewhat disappointing, a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City followed up by a 1-1 draw with Southampton at the weekend, as a late Pedro Neto equaliser earned Wolves a hard-fought point.

That performance saw Santo’s side have to make do without influential captain Conor Coady, who was forced to sit out the game after a Covid-19 scare, which ended a run of 119 consecutive league appearances for the England international.

Luckily for Wolves, their centre-back should be available for the trip to North London, although fellow defender Roman Saiss is unlikely to feature after testing positive for coronavirus.

Last Meeting

Wolves 0-2 Arsenal, 4 July 2020

The two teams last met post-lockdown, with Wolves still in the hunt for a top-four spot after an excellent second season back in the top-flight, while Arsenal were slowly reaping the rewards under new boss Mikel Arteta.

The match was a tight contest early on, before Bukayo Saka netted his first Premier League goal with a superb volley from range. Arsenal were hanging on slightly as Wolves took control in the second-half, with Adama Traore seeing his chipped effort well saved by Bernd Leno.

The hosts were left to rue such their wastefulness, as the visitors eventually extended their lead with less than five minutes go, forward Alexandre Lacazette showing good feet before firing home to confirm Arsenal’s victory.

Wolves would go on to miss out on Champions League and Europa League qualification, while Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph saw them secure a place in the latter competition.

Predicted Lineups

Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Ceballos, Willock; Lacazette, Aubameyang, Nelson.

Wolves: Patricio; Kilman, Coady, Boly; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Ait-Nouri; Traore, Jimenez, Neto.

Who is the referee?

Michael Oliver

How can I watch?

UK and Irish readers can watch the match on Sky Sports Main Event.

What time is kick off?

Sunday 29 November, 19:15 GMT

Odds

Arsenal – 1/1

Wolves – 11/4

Draw – 12/5

10 Premier League clubs set to be allowed up to 2,000 supporters as Government reveals three tier restrictions

See also – Smashed it! Eight players that shone during Champions League gameweek 4

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