Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal embark on their new league campaign at the Emirates Stadium against perennial underachievers Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Arsenal fans must wonder whether their time to gloat has finally come following gut-wrenching back-to-back runner-up finishes behind Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s side finished only two points adrift of the perennial Premier League champions last term, letting their first top-flight title in two decades slip despite an impressive league start. The Gunners hope to replicate a ten-game unbeaten streak from the beginning of the 2023/24 season (W7, D3) and hit the ground running after dispatching Lyon 2-0 in their final pre-season runout. Though Arsenal head into proceedings as clear-cut favorites, this fixture could go either way, considering none of the Gunners’ last 11 Premier League openers have ended level (W6, L5). But they can draw heart from beating Wolverhampton in all six top-flight H2Hs since the start of 2022.

Meanwhile, Wolverhampton experienced another miserable league season in 2023/23, ending in 14th, with only two teams to avoid relegation netting fewer goals than the Wanderers’ 50. Wolves’ uneventful frontline could do even worse this season following Pedro Neto’s big-money switch to Chelsea. Gary O’Neil’s team showed some promising signs during the off-season, including victories over RB Leipzig and West Ham, after only mustering one win in their final ten league outings at the tail-end of last season (D2, L7). The opening-day trip to North London can’t inspire much confidence among the Wolverhampton faithful, considering Wolves have only picked up one victory on Arsenal’s home ground in any competition since 1979 (D4, L10).