Arsenal will welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates Stadium as part of an impromptu midweek round. This midweek round comes about as the Premier League scrambles to find open slots to play games postponed because of the Omicron variant breakout amongst Premier League clubs that wreaked havoc on December scheduling.
Arsenal will be confident heading into this one after their 2-1 victory at the Molineux just a couple of weeks ago. Another reason for confidence is the fact that the Gunners have scored in every competitive fixture against the West Midlands club since 1979. That is 28 consecutive fixtures.
That streak is second only to their run of scoring against West Brom, whom they have scored against in 32 consecutive matches.
As mentioned in the team news article, Mikel Arteta will be delighted to have a full roster of players to select from for this matchup. To have all his players fit and available to him as they head into the home stretch of the league will be a massive boost for the Gunners.
Particularly this season, where the fight for the final Champions League place is the most competitive it has been in many years.
Arsenal vs Wolves
When is it? Thursday, 24 February 2022 7:45 PM
Where is it? Emirates Stadium, London
Who’s in form? Arsenal (DLDWW) Wolves (WLLWW)
What are the odds? Arsenal (-150) Wolves (+475) Draw (+280)
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Team News: go here
STARTING XI PREDICTION
Aaron Ramsdale is a lock to start as the goalkeeper for the Gunners. A potential candidate for ‘signing of the season’, the young Englishman has been tremendous this term.
I jumped the gun on Takehiro Tomiyasu’s return last weekend. It’ll surprise me if he doesn’t start at right-back this week. Kieran Tierney will start at left-back. The Scot gives nothing less than 100% and is rightly a leading candidate for the Gunners captaincy next season.
Gabriel and Ben White continue at center back. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka start as the deepest lying midfielders, with Martin Odegaard playing a more attacking role through the middle, ahead of them.
Bukayo Saka will start on the right-hand side of the attack. I am going with Gabi Martinelli to start on the left. It’s a little harsh on Emile Smith Rowe, who was sensational against Brentford.
I think Martinelli has more runs on the board at the moment. Alexandre Lacazette will play as the number nine.
PREDICTION
With so much at stake here, I expect this to be a nervy match between two genuine European contenders. A win for Wolves would bring them into the top four conversations, whilst a win for the Gunners would see them confirm themselves as a potential favorite for that coveted fourth place.
With that in mind, I am picking a draw that doesn’t really help either side. 1-1.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.