After progressing in the FA Cup, attentons turn back to the Premier League and a trip to Molineux to take on Wolves on Wednesday, February 18 at 8pm (UK time).
We head to Wolves with a four-point lead at the top of the table, aiming to extend that margin ahead of the north London derby on Sunday.
As we prepare to travel north, here’s everything you need to know about the contest.
wolves fighting
It took Wolves 20 Premier League matches to register their first win of the season, a 3-0 victory over West Ham last month.
That victory was part of a four-match unbeaten run before a three-game losing streak was snapped by a resolute 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Rob Edwards has also guided his side into the last 16 of the FA Cup, a run which has offered positives in a difficult campaign.
What the managers say
Arteta: “I think understanding the difficulty of the match is always there in any game in the Premier League but when you come to the last stages of the season you know the importance of every win and what you have to do.
“I sense the team is in a really good emotional state, really looking forward to playing tomorrow and that’s why. Play with that energy, that confidence and I’m sure we’ll continue to do what we’ve done.” – every word from Mikel’s pre-match press conference
Edwards: “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.”
Team news
William Saliba returned to the line-up in the FA Cup win over Wigan after missing our trip to Brentford. Martin Odegaard missed the home clash against the Latics after picking up an injury against the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Elsewhere, Riccardo Calafiori did not make it through the warm-up on Sunday, but he has recovered and trained ahead of the trip to Molineux.
As for our visitors, Toti Gomes and Hee-Chan Hwang are sidelined for Wolves through injury. As for the rest of the squad, Rob Edwards admitted there were heavy legs following their FA Cup win at Grimsby, with a decision on several players to be made ahead of the clash.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke: Wolves are highly likely to deploy a 3-5-2. It is the manager’s preferred formation, and although Edwards did adopt a back four against Chelsea.
Defensively, they are relatively solid. Four teams have a worse expected goals against tally – and three have faced more shots – so their back five is well organised. Keeping two clean sheets in a row in all competitions, will also give them belief.
Angel Gomes is a new face who arrived in January, and the diminutive England international has added a calming presence in central midfield. Technically strong, he is neat and tidy in that crowded area of the pitch. Alongside him, teenager Matheus Mane is arguably Wolves’ most dangerous player. Breaking forward from midfield, he uses his speed and skill to good effect. Capable of striking shots beautifully from distance, the 18-year-old scored against West Ham United and Everton, and provided an assist in our narrow 2-1 success at Emirates Stadium.
Wolves are hostile off the ball. As a by-product of that aggression, they win a lot of tackles, but also make plenty of fouls; in fact they have committed 40 more of them than the next closest top-flight side.
Facts and stats
We’ve won nine of our 11 Premier League away games against Wolves (L2), our highest win rate against any side we’ve faced 10+ times on the road (82%).
We have scored in each of our 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 v Darlington between 1929 and 1961).
Both of our goals in our 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, us against Southampton in 2012/13 and Southampton against Sunderland in 2014/15.
We have won our 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.
We have won all eight of our 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).
Since doing the double over us in 2020/21, Wolves have now lost each of their last nine against us in the Premier League.
Match officials
Paul Tierney will be the referee for our trip to Molineux. Tierney officiated our trip to Wolves in April 2024, when goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard gave us a 2-0 victory.
He will be supported by Richard West and Mark Scholes as his assistants. Craig Pawson is on fourth official duty.
Over in Stockley Park, Michael Salisbury is the Video Assistant Referee. Craig Taylor is his assistant.
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Richard West, Mark Scholes
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Craig Taylor.
last time out
Molineux has been a happy hunting ground for us in the Premier League era, having won nine of our last 11 visits there, including each of the last four without conceding a single goal. There was also drama on our last visit when after Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a red card, we battled to a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Riccardo Calafiori strike on 74 minutes.
The campaign before saw us triumph 2-0 thanks to strikes from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard to keep us in the title hunt, while in November 2022 our Norwegian skipper grabbed a brace to send us to the top of the table ahead of the 2022 World Cup break.
The season before saw us claim a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Gabriel, despite the sending off of Gabriel Martinelli for two quickfire bookable offences, while Wolves’ last success came in 2020/21 when we saw both David Luiz and Bernd Leno red-carded.
Live coverage
The best way to keep up with our trip to the Midlands is on Arsenal.com, where we will have live commentary of the Molinuex showdown.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the game live wherever you are in the world.
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