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TITLE-CHASING Arsenal kick-start their Premier League season against Wolves at the Emirates on Saturday.
The Gunners know a fast start is vital to putting pressure on defending champs Manchester City – who they play next month in what is a tough opening to the 2024/2025 campaign.
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Can they launch a third offensive for the Premier League trophy or will they finish second fiddle again? That’s the question on everybody’s lips.
Despite a series of club records, including 35 wins in 52 matches, to end the season without a trophy was a bitter pill for Mikel Arteta and co. to swallow.
But there’s renewed optimism around the Emirates following Riccardo Calafiori‘s £42m signing to bolster the side’s defensive options.
Wolves, meanwhile, impressed last term by putting together an unlikely challenge for Europe under Gary O’Neil before comfortably finishing mid-table.
Arsenal beat Wolves on both occasions last season, but their 2-1 win in December was memorably edgy after Matheus Cunha scored in the final five minutes.
The Molineux club did put a dent in Man City’s first few weeks last season, beating Pep Guardiola‘s side 2-1 in September.
But Wolves have let defensive skipper Max Kilman go to West Ham, and sold star winger Pedro Neto to Chelsea for £54m last week.
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Calafiori is likely to start on the bench ahead of his debut, following the dominance of William Saliba and Gabriel last season.
Fabio Vieira is a doubt for the hosts, who are without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney due to injuries.
Arsenal’s starting line-up will be much the same as the one deployed last season, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz competing to start up front.
But Thomas Partey will likely get the nod ahead of Jorginho in midfield.
Elsewhere, O’Neil will be delighted with the news that striker Cunha has shaken off his hamstring issues ahead of this huge opening clash.
New forward signing Jorgen Strand Larsen is set to make his debut after Neto joined Chelsea this week.
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What is their form like?
Since the Gunners came back from their United States tour at the start of August, you can see the desire in their eyes.
Off the ball, they have looked exceptional, and their set piece prowess are leaving others envious.
Arsenal endured a mixed bag of results against Prem opposition in the US, drawing with Bournemouth, beating Manchester United and losing to Liverpool.
But ran riot in their 4-1 victory over ‘German Invincibles’ Bayer Leverkusen, before beating French giants Lyon 2-0 in the Emirates Cup.
Wolves’ American tour saw them beat West Ham, lose to Crystal Palace, and smash RB Leipzig 3-0.
The were defeated 1-0 in their final friendly to LaLiga outfit Rayo Vallecano.
Ones to watch
Gabriel Martinelli has had a brilliant preseason – providing a constant threat from the wing and scoring the winner against United.
But the Brazilian winger found it difficult to make the desired impact last term, with Leandro Trossard often thriving after coming in to replace him during games.
He needs a good start against Wolves to silence his critics and affirm his place in the starting XI moving forward, but Arteta is always a maverick when it comes to the left-hand side starter.
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Mario Lemina won Wolves’ Player of the Year last term and is predicted to dictate the ball for his side against this season.
The 30-year-old was announced as the new club captain in July following Kilman’s departure.
Five goals and consistent showings in the midfield were appreciated by those on the terraces.
What have the manager’s said?
Arteta took lots of positives from Arsenal’s dominant win over Lyon on Sunday.
The Spaniard is confident his side can do something special this season.
He said: “I think overall it’s been a really positive pre-season with the tour and the club and a lot of people put a lot of effort into making it work.
“We are constantly evolving everything we do. We scored from two set-pieces (against Lyon) which was good as it gave us confidence.”
Gary O’Neil has reflected on Wolves’ pre-season, suggesting it’s helped the side prepare for the upcoming challenge of the Premier League campaign.
After signing a new contract until 2028 this week, he said: ” We’ve enjoyed preseason.
“The lads have seen the difference in our level against West Ham, Leipzig and Palace and in the final game we were way below that.
“It was a frustrating day and I don’t like it but we still learn from it. We learned something that is important to us.”
SunSport prediction
Arsenal have looked strong this summer and will be buoyed by the lack of goals they conceded at home last season.
They recorded 18 clean sheets in the Premier League last term, five more than any other side, only losing twice at the Emirates.
Wolves meanwhile have not won a Prem opening game since 2020.
Arsenal 2-0 Wolves
When is Arsenal vs Wolves?
- Arsenal vs Wolves will take place on Saturday, August 17.
- It is scheduled to kick off at 3pm BST.
- Emirates Stadium is the allocated venue for this thrilling opening match and it can host approximately 60,704 passionate fans.
- Goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard fired Arsenal to a 2-0 win when the sides last met in April.
Is Arsenal vs Wolves on TV and can it be live streamed?
- Arsenal vs Wolves will NOT be broadcast live on TV in the UK.
- This is due to the Saturday, 3pm football blackout rule.
- Fans can stream the highlights of the match through Sky Sports’ official YouTube channel once the game has concluded.
- Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage of the whole match through our live blog.
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What are the odds?
- Arsenal to win 2/9
- Draw 5/1
- Wolves to win 14/1
*Odds courtesy of William Hill are correct at time of publication
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