They don’t turn many heads with their style of play, but Wolves are creeping into the European picture. This fixture will provide them with a great barometer of how seriously those knocking around the top-six should take their charge. You can get 33/1 on a Wolves top-four finish which looks a tall order with only one place up for grabs and 9/2 for a top-six finish which will be a thing of the past if they win this one.
Arsenal are perhaps a tad short in the market at 6/5 for the away win considering they have failed to beat Everton, Manchester United, Brighton and Brentford on the road this season – but their extra firepower in the final third does give them the advantage in this fixture. I’ve got my eye on Bukayo Saka opening the scoring in what is likely to be a low-scoring affair settled by a moment of inspiration.
Saka is becoming Arsenal’s go-to guy in the final third. The England star has netted four in his last four Premier League encounters, averaging just over four shots per 90 minutes. I’ll be stunned if he doesn’t end up the club’s top goalscorer come the end of the season and he can net the first goal here at 7/1 with Sky Bet.
Saka is becoming Arsenal’s go-to guy in the final third. The England star has netted four in his last four Premier League encounters, averaging just over four shots per 90 minutes. I’ll be stunned if he doesn’t end up the club’s top goalscorer come the end of the season and he can net the first goal here at 7/1 with Sky Bet.The absence of Joao Moutinho is a huge blow to Wolves given his recent form and also the lack of cover. There are only three senior midfielders at the club – not ideal when Bruno Lage started with all three of them in a 3-5-2 formation in the previous two matches. He reverts to 3-4-3 for this one with Luke Cundle as the next in line off the bench.
Better news for Wolves comes in the form of those alongside Cundle. Jonny Otto makes his long-awaited return to the squad after having a terrible time of it with injuries, while Hwang Hee-chan is also fit enough to return among the substitutes.
This is only Arsenal’s second Premier League game in the six weeks since New Year’s Day and it is a more familiar looking line-up than we saw last time out against Burnley. The return of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey makes for a more robust-looking midfield.
“Cedric Soares makes his first Premier League start since the 5-0 defeat to Manchester City in August and the presence of the Portuguese allows Ben White to return to the centre of defence after deputising at right-back in that goalless draw against Burnley.
Arsenal team news
Team to play Wolves: Ramsdale, Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tierney, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Substitutes: Okonkwo, Smith Rowe, Holding, Pepe, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Nketiah, Awe.
Wolves team news
Team to play Arsenal: Sa, Coady, Kilman, Saiss, Semedo, Marcal, Neves, Dendoncker, Trincao, Jimenez, Podence.
Substitutes: Ruddy, Hoever, Ait-Nouri, Silva, Jonny, Chiquinho, Toti, Hee-Chan, Cundle
Wolves vs Arsenal
English Premier League
Date: 10 February 2022, Thursday
Kick-off at 19:45 UK / 20:45 CET
Venue: Molineux Stadium (Wolverhampton).
Plenty will be at stake on Thursday evening at Molineux Stadium where Wolves take on Arsenal in the battle between two European positions hopefuls.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of the most in-form sides in the division at the moment. They will go into this on the back of four wins and a draw in the last five rounds.
This tremendous run has brought them on the brink of European positions. The hosts are now only four points behind Manchester United in fourth place and two points shy of Arsenal in sixth.
It is worth mentioning that both Wolves and Arsenal have a game in hand on the fourth-placed Red Devils, meaning Champions League football is by no means far for either outfit.
The rock-solid defense is the main catalyst to Wolves’ successes. Bruno Lage’s troops boast the second-best defensive record in the whole league with only 16 goals conceded so far in the season.
Wolverhampton have been especially tough to break down of late as they allowed only four goals in the last ten Premier League fixtures.
They have played some of the strongest teams in the league during this run which makes it only more impressive.
Arsenal, on the other side, have been struggling for goals of late. The Gunners failed to find the back of the net in four consecutive fixtures across competitions.
The negative thread involves the 1-0 defeat to Championship side Nottingham Forest in FA Cup and a disappointing goalless draw to the rock-bottomed Burnley in the previous Premier League outing.
Wolves vs Arsenal Head-to-head
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have been a tricky opposition for Arsenal in the last several years.
- The Gunners won only one of the last six encounters against Wolves.
- Wolves will also go into this on the back of two consecutive victories in the clashes against Arsenal.
Wolves vs Arsenal Prediction
This match has the Under 2.5 goals FT written all over it. Eight of the last ten games Wolves played in the league saw fewer than two goals scored, while Arsenal have failed to score in four successive matches across competitions.