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WOLVES V ARSENAL: MATCH PREVIEW
WATCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF WOLVES V ARSENAL
TEAM NEWS
Wolves team news
Wolves will be without Hwang Hee-chan, who is back on the grass but not yet training with the group, so this match comes too soon. There is better news on Toti Gomes, who has returned to training and is expected to be in contention for the weekend, even if Wednesday looks a step too far. Rob Edwards also hinted at further changes after the draining, heavy conditions at Grimsby, with a few players feeling the effects, so expect some rotation to keep energy and intensity high against Arsenal.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal have a few fitness concerns of their own. Riccardo Calafiori pulled out of the FA Cup tie with Wigan during the warm-up, and he is a doubt until the extent of the issue is confirmed. Ben White also went down late in that game, although he later posted “No injuries” on Instagram, which may ease concerns. Martin Odegaard picked up a knee knock at Brentford and missed the cup match, so his availability remains unclear, while Kai Havertz has suffered a muscle setback that Arteta says will sideline him for a few weeks. Mikel Merino is also unlikely to feature again this season after foot surgery.
ROB EDWARDS
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Edwards said he will make changes after the “challenging” conditions at Grimsby in their FA Cup tie: “There’s a few that are feeling a few bits after that.” He wouldn’t name names but added: “We’ll make a couple of changes anyway, and we might make a couple of others just seeing how everyone is.”
On the quick turnaround, Edwards said: “It would have sapped the lads a little bit, but it would have sapped them even more if we had lost. Arsenal under the lights on a Wednesday night – it’s not hard to get up for that. We’ll have our energy. We’ll be ready to run and fight.”
The Wolves boss said Toti Gomes is “doing really well” and has trained but the Arsenal game will come to soon for him to be involved. “We’re hoping for the next one,” Edwards said. He also confirmed Hwang Hee-chan, who is doing individual work at the moment, will not be available on Wednesday.
The Wolves boss says he’s enjoying the challenge: “I probably don’t feel the pressure or heat as much as maybe people from the outside might think. I feel like I’ve got so much energy and I’m really looking forward to this challenge of helping to turn things around. I feel like we’re having a decent effect at the moment – tomorrow night is another opportunity for us to try to do that.”
On facing Arsenal: “There’s pressure on us because we want to have really good standards. We want to keep improving and building, but of course there’s pressure in a different way on them and an expectation for them as well. They’ll be feeling that and we’ve got to make sure that we’re in the game to make them feel that later on as well.”
On a home tie against Liverpool in the fifth round of the FA Cup, Edwards laughed and said “yeah, delighted”, before adding: “It’s exciting. A tough game obviously – one of the most difficult ones you can get – but we’re at home and we’ll look forward to it.”
The Wolves boss said he would love to continue that run because “it does give everyone a little bit of a glimmer of hope, something to enjoy and maybe a little bit of respite from what has been challenging in terms of results in the league”.
On plans for next season, Edwards said: “We’ve had one window where we’ve been able to have quite a shake-up and clearly there is going to be more needed in the summer.” He said there is “a lot of work going on now” and there will be “loads of conversations” between now and the summer to make sure Wolves are in a place where they can “play the way they want and win football matches as well”.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Paul Tierney. Assistants: Richard West, Mark Scholes. Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor.
MATCH STATS & FACTS
Since doing the double over Arsenal in 2020-21, Wolves have now lost each of their last nine against the Gunners in the Premier League.
Arsenal have won nine of their 11 Premier League away games against Wolves (L2), their highest win rate against any side they’ve faced 10+ times on the road (82%).
Arsenal have scored in each of their last 36 meetings with Wolves in all competitions. In competitive English football history, only Wrexham have had a longer scoring streak against an opponent (49 vs Darlington between 1929 and 1961).
Both of Arsenal’s goals in their 2-1 win against Wolves in the reverse fixture were own goals. Only three sides have benefitted from three own goals against an opponent in a single Premier League campaign – Charlton against Sunderland in 2002-03, Arsenal against Southampton in 2012-13 and Southampton against Sunderland in 2014-15.
Arsenal have won their last 14 Premier League matches against teams in the relegation zone by an aggregate score of 40-4. It’s the longest winning run against sides in the bottom three (or bottom four in 1994-95) in the competition’s history.
Arsenal have won all eight of their games played on a Wednesday in all competitions this season. The last time a Premier League team had a better 100% win rate on a specific day over the course of a season was Man City in 2020-21 (won 15/15 on Wednesdays).
Wolves have lost 16 of their 20 Premier League games against sides starting the day top of the table (W3 D1), beating Man Utd in January 2004 and February 2011, and Manchester City in September 2023. Those two wins against Man Utd came while they were bottom of the table, however.
Wolves have lost 10 of their 13 Premier League home games this season (W1 D2), with only Southampton last season reaching 10 home losses in fewer games (12). Wolves have only lost more home games in a single top-flight season twice before – 11 in 1964-65 and 13 in 2011-12.
Wolves have failed to score in more different Premier League games than any other side this season (14), while Arsenal have kept more clean sheets than anyone else (13).
Arsenal’s Noni Madueke – who has scored in his last two away league games – has scored more Premier League goals against Wolves than any other opponent, with his four goals against them accounting for 27% of his total in the competition (4/15).
FORM GUIDE (ALL COMPETITIONS)
HEAD TO HEAD (ALL COMPETITIONS)
WOLVES V ARSENAL: MATCH PREVIEW