Words by Ciaran Coyle

Arsenal host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday evening, with both sides looking to close the gap on their top four rivals.

Mikel Arteta’s side currently sit four points off fourth placed Manchester United, with three games in hand over the Red Devils, whilst the visitors sit just a place below the Gunners having played a game more.

The last time these two sides met was a fortnight ago, where a first half goal from Gabriel was enough to secure the three points, despite the away side going down to ten men later in the game.

Wolves come into this fixture looking to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League, with victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City giving Bruno Lage’s side hope of a top four finish.

Arsenal have only played four league games since the turn of the year, with clashes against Spurs and Chelsea having to be postponed, but the North London side also come into this game on the back of successive Premier League victories.

The visitors will be looking to replicate their performance the last time they made the trip to the capital, with goals from Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence handing Wolves a 2-1 win back in November 2020.

If Arteta’s men avoid defeat on Thursday night they will leapfrog West Ham into fifth place whilst Wolves will have to come away with all three points if they want to move up the table.

Team News

The Arsenal boss will have a fully fit squad to contend with on the night, with Gabriel Martinelli back from the suspension he picked up in the reverse fixture two weeks ago.

Rayan Ait Nouri and Willy Boly are both back in training after sustaining injuries in the early part of the season but won’t be available to Lage on Thursday evening.

Ciaran’s Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

If you want more Football content on CSN, click here!