Arsenal have now dropped points in consecutive Premier League matches, but that has not dampened the sense of optimism surrounding the club. Unai Emery’s side put in a solid performance against a top side, something the Gunners have not done too often recently. Now that their test against a top side has passed, they need to get back to doing what they have done so well this season: beating the lesser sides. They are unbeaten in eight matches against teams outside the traditional top six with seven wins and a draw. They will have a tough task against Wolverhampton, but they need to claim all three points if they want to keep pace in their race for the top four.
Wolves find themselves 11th after three consecutive Premier League losses. After their strong start won manager Nuno EspÃrito Santo manager of the month for September, they struggled to repeat that form in October. After a poor start with a 3-2 loss to north London’s other side, Tottenham, they’ll hope they can get back on track in November.
Team News
After a taxing Europa League match, Arsenal will be without Danny Welbeck, Laurent Koscielny, Mohammed Elneny, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Konstantinos Mavropanos, while Nacho Monreal will have a late fitness test before the match, according to Physioroom.com.
Wolves have quite a short injury list, with the only doubt for the match being Diogo Jota, who will have a knock he picked up assessed before the match.
Key Players
Arsenal: Granit Xhaka
Xhaka had possibly his best game in an Arsenal shirt last weekend. Between himself and Lucas Torreira, Arsenal dominated the midfield in a big game, something they have rarely done over the past few years, even when they got good results in big games. Xhaka has always had a propensity to play well against top teams, now he has to continue playing well in the games where the occasion is not as big. Against a Wolves team with a very good defense, the Swiss’ progressive passing will be needed to move the ball to Arsenal’s creative attacking players.
Wolverhampton: Ruben Neves
Wolves have some incredible talent in their team and Neves is their crown jewel. He is considered one of the best young midfielders in the world for a reason. He helps Wolves control the midfield, keep the defense safe and progress the ball to their attacking players. He’ll need to help win the battle against an Arsenal midfield that is riding high on confidence and winning that battle will be crucial to help cut off the supply to the Gunners star attacking players.
Prediction
Despite their results, Arsenal haven’t always put in the best performances this season. Wolves aren’t in the best of form though, and the Gunners are fantastic at home against non-top six teams.
Prediction: 2-1 Arsenal
