Wolverhampton Wanderers will attempt to defy the odds and put an end to their winless run when they welcome Arsenal to Molineux for Tuesday's Premier League showdown.
The hosts suffered a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in their most recent outing, while Arsenal took a point from their clash with Manchester United.
Match preview
© Reuters
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted that "a lot of things are missing" as his side's winless run in the league stretched to eight matches with a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Eberechi Eze got the goal which condemned the West Midlands outfit to their third defeat from four in the Premier League - a truly disheartening result just days after they had managed to hold Chelsea to a goalless stalemate in the capital.
As one of only two teams in the English top flight who have failed to win any of their last five matches - the other being Fulham - Santo's men have slipped to 14th in the table, and unforeseen fears of relegation will start to creep in unless they can pull themselves out of this alarming rut.
Furthermore, the hosts have only managed to take maximum points from one of their last six Premier League matches on home soil, and should Arsenal manage to breach Santo's defence on Tuesday, Wolves would have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven top-flight matches at Molineux.
Life does not get any easier for Wolves after the visit of Arsenal either, as they must take on Leicester City before a double-header with Southampton in the league and FA Cup in February, so a shock win against the Gunners would be the perfect tonic for Santo's men heading into a taxing fortnight.
© Reuters
The Arsenal vs. Manchester United fixture does not possess the same 'clash of the titans' label as it did during the Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger days, and Saturday's game most certainly had the feel of two teams out to avoid defeat rather than going all guns blazing for a win.
Both sides had brilliant chances to win - Edinson Cavani's volley went inches wide and Alexandre Lacazette's free kick cannoned off the bar - but there were no goals to be had as Arsenal extended their unbeaten league run to seven matches with that 0-0 draw.
Given the fact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney were all missing on the night, Mikel Arteta will no doubt be satisfied with a point - one which saw them keep their fifth clean sheet in six top-flight matches.
However, the European-chasing Gunners remain in mid-table obscurity after Chelsea's win over Burnley on Sunday, and Arteta's side - who lie 10th - find themselves eight points adrift of the top four following Leicester City's shock defeat to Leeds United.
A victory on Tuesday would see Arsenal extend their winning away run in the top flight to four matches following wins on Brighton & Hove Albion, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton's turf, and the Gunners claimed a 2-0 win in this game last season thanks to goals from Saka and Lacazette.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form: LDLLDL
Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions): WLLWDL
Arsenal Premier League form: WWDWWD
Arsenal form (all competitions): WDWLWD
Team News
© Reuters
Wolves were without three left-sided defenders against Palace, with Marcal already sidelined, Rayan Ait-Nouri being sent for scans following an injury against Chelsea, while Romain Saiss was reported to have picked up a knock.
The latter is also being strongly linked with a last-minute move to Liverpool, so depending on what transpires over the coming days, Nelson Semedo could deputise on the left flank again.
Adama Traore could also come back in for the hosts, but wholesale changes are unlikely given their numerous absentees, and Ruben Neves may not be involved after the birth of his child.
Arsenal captain Aubameyang has returned to training after helping to look after his unwell mother, but it remains to be seen if he is ready to return to the pitch.
Saka was left out as a precautionary measure against Man United with a sore hip but is expected to return to the fold here, but Kieran Tierney and Mat Ryan will not be available with calf and hip problems respectively.
Emile Smith Rowe overcame fitness concerns to start at the weekend, but with Arteta affirming that he must be careful with his young guns, Martin Odegaard could make his first start for the club in midweek.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Coady, Boly, Kilman; Hoever, Moutinho, Dendoncker, Semedo; Traore, Jose, Neto
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Luiz, Cedric; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Pepe; Lacazette
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal continue to demonstrate steady signs of improvement by the week under Arteta, and with the prospect of key players returning in time for this tie, we can only see one winner. Wolves have already beaten Arsenal once this term and will feel that there is no reason why lightning cannot strike twice, but a defensively-sound Gunners team should return to scoring and winning ways at Molineux this week.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Arsenal win with a probability of 43.72%. A win for Wolverhampton Wanderers had a probability of 29.03% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.
The most likely scoreline for an Arsenal win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.25%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.69%) and 0-2 (8.29%). The likeliest Wolverhampton Wanderers win was 1-0 (9.5%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.85%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 6.7% likelihood.
