(Football news) Arsenal will look to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers for the second time this month and close the gap to fourth place Manchester United to keep their Champions League hopes alive. The Gunners defeated Wolves 1-0 at the Molineux Stadium on February 10th and will look to replicate that performance at the Emirates Stadium.
It’s clear that the absence of participating in the European competitions is benefitting Arsenal who look fresher, fitter and overall in good form heading into the match. Only Liverpool have a better defensive record than Arsenal as the North London side have only conceded nine goals so far and have managed to get 26 points at home with only Man City and Liverpool getting more.
Their opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers are also contenders for the top four in the Premier League. Bruno Lage’s team are currently seventh with 40 points, six points behind fourth place Manchester United but have played two games less and recently defeated Leicester City on Sunday. If they manage to defeat Arsenal, Wolves will climb to fifth place in the Premier League table temporarily. Wolves can take confidence in the fact that they have won each of their last four away games and a win at the Emirates Stadium is quite a realistic possibility.
In team news, Arsenal have a fully fit squad to face Wolves with Gabriel Martinelli having served his one match suspension after receiving a red card against the same opposition at the Molineux Stadium. Despite Emile Smith Rowe scoring his ninth goal of the season, Mikel Arteta could drop the England international to accommodate Martinelli back into the squad.
Wolves also have a fully fit squad but Rayan Ait-Nouri will need assessment after picking up a knock against Leicester City while Yerson Mosquera and Willy Boly have returned to the squad. Pedro Neto made his first appearance of the season against Leicester and is also available for selection after recovering from a knee injury. If Bruno Lage opts for a 3-4-3 formation, it’s likely that Hwang Hee-chan and Francisco Trincao could compete for an attacking spot at Joao Moutinho’s expense.
Also read: Liverpool look to apply pressure on Man City with win over Leeds United
