Arsenal – Wolverhampton Wanderers: Predicted line-ups and latest news
The Premier League has kicked off, and today the action intensifies with a match between last season's runners-up, Arsenal, who will host Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Arsenal spent much of last season battling for the Premier League title and frequently led the table. The race remained tight until the very end, but the Gunners ultimately lost the top spot to Manchester City. Over the summer, Arsenal embarked on a tour of the United States, playing four friendlies, losing only to Liverpool. Last week, they also won the Emirates Cup, defeating French side Lyon 2-0 in a friendly.
Wolverhampton Wanderers finished last season in 14th place in the Premier League standings, comfortably avoiding relegation by 20 points, though they were also 20 points short of a European spot. Over the summer, Wolves played five friendlies, losing only to Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano while winning the rest.
Ahead of the match, Arsenal's head coach, Mikel Arteta, expressed his eagerness to get the Premier League campaign underway and his excitement about returning to the field:
"We are very excited. We've missed the competition for many weeks, and for us, it's been too long. We are looking forward to starting and are full of enthusiasm.
Gary [O'Neil] and his team have done an exceptional job, and it's a really competitive match. They are really hard to attack, difficult to contain, and they create moments in different ways. We need to be at our best, and if we do that, we have a good chance of winning the game."
Wolves' head coach, Gary O'Neil, shared similar sentiments, stating that he hopes to showcase all that they've achieved during the pre-season:
"They [Arsenal] are a good team; they had a good pre-season. They look as good as, if not better than, last year. These early games can be misleading, but nonetheless, it's a tough match. You go to the Emirates, you know what to expect—everything will be full-on, they will attack you, and they will be desperate to take another step forward like they did last season.
They will start with a home game, which will be very important for them, but on our side, I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do, what problems we can create for them, and how well we can handle the challenges they present."
Both managers are likely to field their strongest lineups to secure points in the season opener. The Dailysports team has prepared the probable starting lineups for both teams.
Predicted Arsenal line-up
Raya – Calafiori, Gabriel, Saliba, White – Rice, Partey, Ødegaard – Martinelli, Havertz, Saka
Predicted Wolverhampton Wanderers line-up
José Sá – Mosquera, Gomes, Doherty – Aït-Nouri, Lemina, Sarabia, João Gomes, Rodrigo Gomes – Hee-Chan, Strand Larsen
The match is scheduled to take place today at 16:00 Central European Time. The Dailysports team has provided information on where you can watch the match in your country.
Liam Garcia
Dailysports's expert
