 | Wolverhampton Wanderers versus ArsenalLocation: Molineux Stadium (Wolverhampton)Date: Wednesday, November 10 Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Records (W-D-L, +/-, Place): Wolves, 2-3-6, -7, 19th Arsenal, 6-2-3, +11, 3rd |  |
English Premier League Week 12: Arsenal Hope To Bounce Back From Weekend Loss With Win Over Wolves
Just three days after losing at the Emirates to cheeky Newcastle United, Arsenal now travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton. Wolves will want to make up for their Saturday performance against Manchester United, when they saw their hard-fought point vanish at the foot of Park Ji-Sung, who scored in the 93rd minute.
However, Wolves likely shouldn’t count on picking up points against Arsenal. The Gunners may have had their pride bruised at the weekend, but this is a club unwilling to tolerate third place for long (this year, anyway). The squad has too much individual brilliance, and shows too many moments of combined talent, for the team to concede that they should be anywhere but the top. But if the visitors do drop points to relegation-zone Wolves, it will be time to start asking questions about Arsenal’s deserved place in the table.
Projected Lineup, Wolves: Hahnemann-Ward, Berra, Stearman, Foley-Hunt, Milijas, Henry, Edwards, Jarvis-Doyle
Projected Lineup, Arsenal: Fabianski-Sagna, Squillaci, Djourou, Clichy-Song, Wilshere-Fábregas-Walcott, Chamakh, Nasri
Key Matchup: With Thomas Vermaelen having suffered a setback in training, and Laurent Koscielny once again suspended, Arsenal are yet again relying on their reserve center backs, Sébastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou. Wolves, long labeled as a physical side, apparently took that criticism to heart after Karl Henry's crunching tackles were splashed all over the press. Ever since their meeting with Chelsea, Wolves have given a different account of themselves, playing a much more fluid style of football. The Blues found them hard to break down, Manchester City suffered a loss to the rejuvenated side the next week, and on Saturday Manchester United needed to pull out every stop to find a win. Arsenal's weakened defense shouldn't expect an easy battle against Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle.
Battle Within The Battle: Arsenal players against themselves. Cesc Fábregas started against Newcastle, but his early play certainly didn't reflect his typical form. The Arsenal captain continues to be plagued by a hamstring injury, with the Arsenal medical department unable to completely solve the problem. Saturday's game also saw the return of Robin van Persie, playing his first game for the Gunners since August. The Dutchman, known for being fragile as hand-blown glass, likely won't get the start on Wednesday, although will likely find some minutes to help bring back his sharpness. Finally, Arsenal have already seen four red cards this season, with two of them being handed to Koscielny. The defender lost his appeal against the red he received against Newcastle and is facing a ban of at least two matches. Should Arsenal wish to truly show themselves as a team deserving of the top of the league, they will both need to master their bodies and control their tempers.
Pick: Arsenal will bounce back but won’t keep a clean sheet. 2-1 to the Gunners.
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