It’s that time of the season again when the Premier League is about to start and we could not be more excited about it. As fans around the world continue to scramble around with permutations and combinations for their FPL team ahead of the Friday deadline, the biggest question in their minds currently is ‘Yes Haaland or No Haaland?’.
Ah well, good luck breaking your heads with it but it’s time to talk about the actual game and who Arsenal face in the Premier League curtain-raiser. Mikel Arteta’s side welcome Gary O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers home for their first game of the 2024/25 season and will be hoping to get off to a winning start.
The Gunners came really close to lifting the Premier League title last season running Pep Guardiola’s side very close but in the end, it proved to be a whisker too far. With a stronger and more mature squad to compete this time around, you can’t put it past Arteta’s men to be third-time lucky this season.
Wolves meanwhile will come into this season with lofty ambitions after an impressive period under manager Gary O’Neil. The manager has done a great job at the Molineux so far and will want to continue the good work this season. However, getting past Arsenal is not going to be a piece of cake.
DATE & TIME:
Date: August 17, 2024
Time: 15:00 BST
Location: Emirates Stadium, London.
ARSENAL VS WOLVES – TEAM NEWS:
Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu have been ruled out of the clash with injuries and are unlikely to return any time soon. Fabio Viera and Jurrien Timber are doubts for the clash but the former is close to returning to training and should return in the subsequent game weeks while Timber already took part in the recent training session.
Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal’s new signing is fit and will be raring to go for his debut.
Gunners fans will be eager to find out if Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly will get a chance after impressive pre-seasons.
Elsewhere, Wolves are relatively injury-free, with Daniel Podence the major concern when it comes to fitness. However, Podence like Goncalo Guedes are out of favour at the Molineux meaning Gary O’Neil will have a full roster to pick from for the game against Mikel Arteta’s side.
ARSENAL VS WOLVES – PRE-GAME ANALYSIS
Mikel Arteta is almost certain to go with his favoured 4-3-3 formation that he has used throughout his time at Arsenal. David Raya is expected to start in goal as he looks set to compete for his second successive Golden Glove award. The Spaniard has had an impressive stint at the Emirates and he will want to continue in a similar vein.
The back four is likely to comprise of Ben White from the right, William Saliba partnering Gabriel in the centre and Oleksandr Zinchenko starting from the left. New signing Calafiori will have to make do with a spot on the bench. White will be tasked with making overlapping runs on the outside for Bukayo Saka whilst Zinchenko will likely come inside to provide midfield overloads.
Thomas Partey is likely to start as the #6 for the first game especially with Mikel Merino yet to be signed. The Ghanaian midfielder started Arsenal’s final pre-season game against Lyon, further strengthening his chances. Declan Rice will operate as the shuttler in midfield, a role that he filled with devastating effect last season. The midfield will be rounded off by captain Martin Odegaard who needs no introduction.
Bukayo Saka is locked in to start from the right with Gabriel Martinelli likely to pip Leandro Trossard on the left. Arteta faces a dilemma on who to start in the #9 role with both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus having a decent chance. Ultimately, we think the Spanish tactician will go with the former against Wolves.
O’Neil on the other hand has carried out quite a tactical revolution since taking over as Wolves manager. The manager began his tenure by deploying a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1. Both setups were quite fluid with the team looking devastating going forward but they were getting easy to bypass for opponent attacks.
Quick to think on his feet, O’Neil adapted the formation to a hybrid 3-4-2-1 which has since seen them offer defensive stability along with attacking flair. The manager has used different formations in pre-season, making it unclear as to what he’ll use in the game against Arsenal. In their last pre-season game against Rayo Vallecano, Wolves lined up with a hybrid 3-5-2 which is what we think he’ll use against the Gunners.
Jose Sa is likely to start in goal. In front of the Portuguese shot-stopper will be a back three likely consisting of Matt Doherty, Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera. Rodrigo Gomes and the impressive Rayan Ait Nouri (who has been linked with an exit this summer) could start as the wing-backs.
Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina will be tasked with providing the legs in midfield. Pablo Sarabia could operate through the middle as a slightly withdrawn False Nine with Hwang Hee-Chan and Jorgen Strand Larsen likely to start as the strikers. A case can be made for Nelson Semedo to start instead of Rodrigo Gomes, considering the ex-Barcelona man’s experience.
PREDICTED LINEUPS:
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Wolves (3-4-1-2): Sa; Doherty, T. Gomes, Mosquera; R. Gomes, J. Gomes, Lemina, Ait-Nouri; Sarabia; Hwang Hee-Chan, Strand Larsen
ARSENAL VS WOLVES PREDICTION
O’Neil has proved his credibility as an excellent tactician whilst Arteta needs no introduction. Despite having limited resources as compared to Arsenal, the coach has done a brilliant job getting the best out of his resources and making them play an exciting brand of football. That said, there is a huge gulf in quality between the squads of the two teams.
Arsenal will be hoping to get this season off to a good start and this motivation and the confidence that comes from an excellent pre-season should help them get past Wolves at the Emirates. We are not the same team that lost to Brentford on the opening day of a season and it is unlikely to happen against.
Prediction: Arsenal 4-1 Wolves
