Arsenal will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Molineux to face Wolves later tonight.
The Gunners have faced a huge backlash after their defeat to Crystal Palace this past the weekend, and a win against Wolves is imperative as they look to keep their top four hopes on track.
Arsenal team news
Key defender Hector Bellerin (knee) and Rob Holding(ACL) have been ruled out for the rest of the campaign while Aaron Ramsey also faces a spell on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury last week.
Unai Emery sounded rather pessimistic in regards to Granit Xhaka’s availability this week, and the Swiss international is a doubt heading into this fixture along with new signing Denis Suarez.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Wolves
Defence
Shkodran Mustafi is more than likely to be dropped tonight after his disastrous display against Crystal Palace at the weekend. The German international will make way for Sokratis, who is back available after serving a two-match suspension.
Wolves’ offensive duo of Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez could cause some problems for the Arsenal defence this week. That means deploying an inexperienced defender like Konstantinos Mavrapanos could be a risk. Thus, we expect Emery to opt for the reliable Nacho Monreal.
Monreal will replace Mavrapanos at the heart of Arsenal’s three-man backline, where he will be partnered by Laurent Koscielny.
Bernd Leno will retain his place in goal for Arsenal tonight. And German international will brace himself for yet another busy outing against a sharp Wolves attack.
Midfield
Ainsley Maitland-Niles will play a crucial role in the right wing-back role as Arsenal look to mirror Wolves’ 3-5-2 shape. The youngster, therefore, will have to deal with the tricky Jonny Castro on the far side.
Sead Kolasinac will be deployed on the opposite flank, where he will be tasked with the responsibility of stopping Matt Doherty.
In midfield, Xhaka’s likely absence will pave the way for Matteo Guendouzi to retain his place in the double-pivot alongside Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan will replace Mohamed Elneny, who surprisingly started against Palace in the last game.
Attack
Ramsey’s absence will be a huge blow for Arsenal tonight and the onus will be on Henrikh Mkhitaryan to replace the Welshman.
As for Mesut Ozil, he might have to settle for a place on the bench as Emery is likely to shuffle his attacking unit. That means Alex Iwobi is favourite to start alongside Mkhitaryan in the attacking midfield position while the Arsenal attack will be spearheaded by Alexandre Lacazette.
