Arsenal and the Wolverhampton Wanderers will meet on Thursday at 20:45 in a match of the 20th matchday in the English Premier League. Thus, the sixth and seventh duel, with the Gunners and Wolves taking 42 and 40 points respectively. Martin Atkinson is in charge of the match at London’s Emirates Stadium.
The first match between Arsenal and the Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EPL 2021/2022 took place just a fortnight ago. Here, the Gunners celebrated a 1-0 away victory on 10 February. The win saw Mikel Arteta’s side return to winning ways after dropping points twice at the Emirates Stadium against Manchester City (1-2) and Burnley (0-0). Arsenal followed that up with a 2-1 home win over Brentford on Saturday.
Unlike their opponents in the Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton clash, the visitors after that match played two more championship games. Bruno Lage’s side inflicted on Tottenham Hotspur their third defeat with a 2-0 in front of their home crowd. Then, on Sunday, the Wolves managed with a 2-1 home win against Leicester City their fifth victory in six league appearances.
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What speaks for Arsenal?
- The away win against Wolves a fortnight ago
- Playing in front of their home crowd
- Before a late goal by Brentford, they had conceded only one goal in the Premier League this year and that was against Manchester City
- Mikel Arteta has the full squad at his disposal
What speaks for the Wolverhampton Wanderers?
- Won five of their last six league matches to date
- Rebounded immediately from the home defeat to the Gunners and got back to winning ways
Our betting tip:
- Bet: Under 2.5 goals
- Bookmaker: Betway
- Odds: 1.65
Expert analysis Arsenal
Arsenal celebrated their sixth win in eight league games on 19 February with a 2-1 home victory over 14th-placed Brentford. Here, the Gunners dropped points exclusively in January. A 1-2 home defeat to leaders Manchester City didn’t necessarily come as a surprise. On the other hand, a 0-0 home draw against penultimate Burnley on 23 January made the headlines.
So, in the following Premier League match against the Wolverhampton Wanderers on 10 February, they had to make reparation. And they did, thanks to a 25th-minute goal from Gabriel Magalhães. The Gunners did not cover themselves with glory, but they got back on track. Due to the postponement of the derby at Chelsea, Arteta’s side had to wait nine days for the upcoming championship match.
In the home game against 14th-placed Brentford, Arsenal dominated for almost the entire match. The Gunners were denied two goals in the first half. Therefore, the 1-0 through Emile Smith Rowe came only in the 48th minute. The second one was scored by Bukayo Saka in the 79th minute. Until the 90th minute, everything indicated that Arteta’s team would play to nil for the fourth time in five championship games. However, Christian Nørgaard cancelled this out in the 93rd minute and the match ended with a 2-1.
In the match against the Bees, Gabriel Martinelli had to sit in the stands due to a red card at Wolves. Now, he is available again for the Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers match. Thus, Arteta can choose from the full squad.
Expert analysis Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 0-1 defeat at home to Arsenal on 10 February was their first loss of points this year. After a 0-0 draw at home against third-placed Chelsea, Bruno Lage’s team went on to win three Premier League games. Here, they first prevailed at fourth-placed Manchester United (1-0) and at home against tenth-placed Southampton (3-1). Then the previous month ended with a 2-1 at Brentford.
In the game against the Gunners, Wolves were ahead in many respects. They lost despite having more ball possession (58%), more shots and more shots on target. Nevertheless, Lage’s team did not lose its spirit.
And Wolves returned to winning ways on 13 February with a 2-0 at eighth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Here, the Spurs largely dominated the encounter. However, the seventh-placed side defended their early lead through Raúl Jiménez and Leander Dendoncker. This was followed by a 2-1 home win against eleventh-placed Leicester City on 20 February. On this occasion, the Wolverhampton Wanderers conceded their only 18th goal in the 2021/2022 EPL.
Unlike his Arsenal counterpart, Lage is without three injured players. Two of them, Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera, play at centre-back. Furthermore, substitute goalkeeper Matija Sarkic misses out.
Head-to-head comparison Arsenal – Wolverhampton Wanderers
The first Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers clash in the 2021/2022 Premier League took place on 10 February. Here, the home side won 1-0 thanks to a goal of Gabriel Magalhães. In the previous EPL season, the Gunners suffered two 1-2 defeats against Wolves.
Our betting tip and the best odds
At first glance, after Arsenal’s 1-0 away win against the Wolverhampton Wanderers, a lot would speak in favour of another success. However, the Wolves would have deserved at least a draw against the Gunners in their first encounter of the season.
On top of that, this was the only loss of points in the six championship games so far this year. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, for example, both came away empty-handed. On the one hand, the Gunners won six of their last league appearances so far. And on the other one, they had to accept a 0-0 home draw against Burnley. After a 1-0 win at the Wolves, they managed a 2-1 home win against Brentford. However, the Bees have conceded 42 goals so far, which is more than twice of the ones conceded by the Wolves (18).
Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers – betting tip: Under 2.5 goals, odds 1.65 at bookmaker Betway
