Arsenal take on Wolves at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, hoping to make it three Premier League wins on the bounce.
The Gunners were in a rampant mood on Wednesday night as they put six past RC Lens to win their Champions League group. The attack finally clicked, with each member of the front five getting on the scoresheet before half-time. The win over Lens made it four consecutive victories across all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side since the controversial 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park at the start of November.
Arteta and Co. would want to stay at the summit of the Premier League by beating Wolves, who head to the Emirates off the back of a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday.
Arsenal Team News
Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey are out with knee and thigh problems respectively, and the midfield duo could return in January. The suspended Fabio Vieira has been added to the injury list after undergoing groin surgery last week, which will keep the Portuguese playmaker potentially out for a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber is a long-term absentee for Arsenal.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Wolves (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Ineligible to face his parent club Brentford in the Premier League last weekend, David Raya will retain his place in goal after keeping a clean sheet against RC Lens on Wednesday night.
Defence
The defensive unit of Arsenal should consist of Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Saliba will continue partnering Gabriel at the heart of Arsenal’s defence, with Tomiyasu and Zinchenko operating as the full-backs. The Arsenal full-backs will provide width in the offensive third while helping the central defenders when required.
Midfield
Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz should form Arsenal’s engine room against Wolves. Havertz has shown signs of getting back his mojo with back-to-back goals against Brentford and Lens. The German is expected to start in an advanced midfield role alongside Odegaard, with Rice shouldering the responsibility of keeping things ticking from his preferred No.6 position.
The aforementioned trio must look to take control of the game as quickly as possible and create openings in the final third for the forwards.
Attack
The front three of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli scored in Arsenal’s 6-0 rout of Lens in midweek, and Arteta may prefer to keep faith in them against Wolves. Leandro Trossard, who was an unused substitute in the 6-0 win over Lens, could get an opportunity to showcase his qualities this time around.