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Match preview - Wolves vs. Arsenal - Wolves looking to bite into Gunners' title charge
In-form Arsenal travel to Molineux in Saturday’s late kick-off, unbeaten since that infamous trip to Manchester City in early September and looking to gain ground on Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the table. Wolves, have had a mixed start to the season, but having gained respectable draws in their last three, the team will be looking to cause an upset, and a shock here could help to turn their home into something of a fortress. With the Gunners involved in European matters in the week, Mick McCarthy will be hoping for his opponents to be suffering from a ‘Champions League hangover’ and will have his battling side fully prepared for this tough test of the leagues’ top scorers.
Wolves - Home form is the key for any team looking to survive in the Premier League, just ask Owen Coyle and Burnley, and with just the one victory over Fulham at home so far this season, fans will be keen for their team to convert hard work and chances into goals. Having recently welcomed back front man Chris Iwelumo after a long spell on the sidelines, there is competition for places up top. As well as having the services of Kevin Doyle, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and 6' 8" Stefan Maierhofer to call on, Mick McCarthy certainly has firepower capable of causing defences problems. At the back Jody Craddock, fresh from his unlikely brace, will be looking to marshal a defence which could include Michael Mancienne. In midfield, there could be a place for the talented Nenad Milijas, a player McCarthy praised for his second half substitute performance away at Stoke.
1 Hennessey
23 Zubar- 16 Berra -6 Craddock– 3 Elokobi
7 Kightly – 8 Henry – 35 Castillo – 20 Milijas
9 Ebanks-Blake – 29 Doyle
Arsenal - Injuries are a concern for Arsenal, this week both Nicklas Bendtner and Gael Clichy have emerged as month long absentees. This will mean youngster Kieran Gibbs will capably slot in at left-back and after the home tie against Alkmaar in the week, Wenger may be tempted to bring in a few more faces from the impressive Carling Cup squad. Tomas Rosicky could feature having returned to training after a knee problem, but Arsenal remain without Theo Walcott, Lukasz Fabianski, Denilson, and Johan Djourou. Much has been made of Arsenal’s lack of squad depth but certainly going forward Wenger has an array of attacking flair to choose from. Robin Van Persie will be looking to continue his fine form of late, with seven goals in his last seven league games. Alongside him could be any two of Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Eduardo, Emmanuel Eboue, with captain Cesc Fabregas looking to orchestrate matters at the heart of the midfield.
1 Almunia
3 Sagna – 5 Vermaelen – 10 Gallas – 28 Gibbs
2 Diaby – 4 Fabregas – 17 Song
9 Eduardo – 11 Van Persie – 23 Arshavin
On paper, despite the injuries, Arsenal will still be heavily fancied. But games are not won on paper, something proven in a season which has so far been full of surprises. The key for the home side will be to get amongst the visitors and disrupt their smooth style of play, something much easier said than done. Wenger's side are finding goals from all over the pitch, and are playing some untouchable football in the process. However, Wolves are no push-overs, and have proven to be a tough nut to crack in recent games, coming from behind against Aston Villa and Stoke, and almost pinching a win up at Goodison Park. Wenger often says that the next game is the most important and with this weekend’s top two clash at Stamford Bridge, he will be looking for his team to really take advantage of one or both of these sides dropping points and getting right in the thick of the title race.
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