Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal

Molineux Stadium forms the backdrop for a lopsided Premier League showdown between relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers and title-bidding Arsenal.

Wolverhampton’s ‘new manager bounce’ is long gone as they’ve lost three of their last four Premier League outings (D1) after winning the first two under Portuguese boss Vitor Pereira. Still deeply embroiled in the relegation battle, Wolves sit narrowly above 18th-placed Ipswich, with nothing but a goal difference to separate the sides ahead of the kickoff. Off-field distractions don’t bode well, with star forward Matheus Cunha heavily linked with a January exit. However, that’s the least of Pereira’s problems, considering his men lament a dreadful record against sides from the top eight this season, failing to avoid defeat in ten out of 11 such fixtures (D1, L10). That’s hardly inspiring ahead of Arsenal’s visit as the hosts bid to halt a disastrous seven-game losing H2H streak in the Premier League. 

Reportedly at the head of the queue to sign Cunha, visiting Arsenal eased past Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in midweek Champions League action to inch closer to securing automatic last-16 qualification. However, their Premier League title charge is in tatters after two draws from their last three league outings (W1) saw Liverpool re-establish a six-point cushion. With the Reds also boasting a game in hand, Mikel Arteta’s men have no margin for error at Molineux, where they’ve won their last three top-flight meetings with Wolves without conceding. Against this backdrop, the Gunners have struggled defensively on the road lately, failing to keep a clean sheet across their last nine Premier League travels (W3, D4, L2). They’ll likely make up for any defensive shortcomings after finding the net in 34 meetings with Wolves across all competitions since 1979.