(Football news) Their hosts are comfortable in mid-table mediocrity, while Mikel Arteta’s downtrodden man is back in domestic play following a painful Champions League dismissal.

For the Wolves supporters, Matheus Cunha’s return to the starting lineup was much-needed. The Brazilian had been out of the starting lineup for two months, and they were overjoyed to see his name in the starting lineup for last weekend’s match against Nottingham Forest.

After winning the match ball at Stamford Bridge in his last premier league appearance, Cunha made himself the hero of Wolves with two important goals at the City Ground. However, this time around, the South American would not produce a hat-trick for the ages. 

Despite moving onto double figures for the Premier League season, Cunha’s efforts were only good enough for one point thanks to Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo’s contributions, stretching the hosts’ winless run in all tournaments to five matches as their European dream slowly fades.

Sitting 11th in the standings with a seven-point gap to make up to seventh-placed Manchester United, Gary O’Neil’s men are not out of the continental conversation entirely, but achieving a top-half finish is now the 40-year-old’s overriding goal ahead of a potential scramble for his services this summer.

Now without a clean sheet in seven straight fixtures across all competitions, Wolves are also at risk of losing three consecutive home matches for the first time since September 2021 – having fallen short against Coventry City and West Ham United in recent weeks – although they have developed an affinity for shocking sides on the podium positions.

Indeed, Saturday’s hosts have won their last two home games against teams beginning the gameweek in the top two of the standings – sinking Tottenham Hotspur in November and Manchester City in September – so Arsenal’s recovery mission may not be as straightforward as Wolves’ form book suggests.

Arsenal need no added motivation to lay down a Molineux marker, though, having been left to rue a toothless attacking display in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich, who set up a Real Madrid semi thanks to Joshua Kimmich’s second-half header.

Champions League heartbreak came just three days on from an equally alarming 2-0 Premier League home loss to Aston Villa, one which leaves their title fate out of their own hands at they sit two points adrift of Man City in second spot.

Arsenal will return to their apex with three points against Wolves, though, as the champions fulfill their FA Cup semi-final obligations this weekend. They also travel to the West Midlands with an amazing record of five clean sheets from their previous five away games in the top flight.

Arsenal has never before registered six straight shutouts when playing in league competition on the road, but they have five straight wins against Wolves and have kept clean sheets in their last two visits to Molineux, so history might be rewritten against them.

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