20 February 2022, 19:00
It's a peculiar occurrence in the Premier League that sometimes two teams come up against each other twice in the space of a few weeks due to how the fixtures have fallen. In the recent reverse fixture, Arsenal narrowly edged out Wolves at their Molineux stadium to strengthen their renewed push for a top four spot.
Wolves striving for better than mid-table
In the dog fight to finish in the European places, some will miss out and end up merely with a respectable top half finish this season. Wolves find themselves battling it out with the likes of Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal not only for 4th spot but the consolation of a Europa League place. At least one of them is set to miss out.
Wolves have proven themselves more than capable of matching these clubs on their best days but the recent defeat at home to Arsenal has put a little more pressure on them to bounce back here and put themselves back in the fight. Can they win at the Emirates? It's not out of the question.
Arsenal showing there's life after Aubameyang departure
If you told Arsenal fans at the start of this season they'd lose their top scorer in the January transfer market following a managerial fall-out, there would be some huge doubts over how they'd pick themselves up. But Mikel Arteta has shown a remarkable ability to bounce back when the pressure is on him following big decisions and the recent win against a big rival in Wolves was another sign of this.
Doubts remain over Arteta among some fans. There is still plenty of work to be done for Arsenal to get anywhere close to the days of consistent top four finishes, but he is showing potential to be a long term prospect for the club as he continues to build a strong team focused on youth.
Football is of course a fickle game in which you're judged on your last match, so a defeat at home to Wolves would be a huge setback for Arteta and Arsenal.