Wolves vs Arsenal Prediction: What can Zubi do against waning Wolves?

Premier League basement club Wolverhampton Wanderers endure a visit from league leaders Arsenal this Wednesday, February 18 (20:00, Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event). When you are bottom of the division, the last thing you want to do is welcome a side you’ve lost your last nine matches against.

Read on for my Wolves vs Arsenal predictions featuring the latest match odds and team news.

Team News

Wolves manager Rob Edwards confirmed ahead of their FA Cup game with Grimsby Town that Hwang Hee-chan’s calf injury will rule him out of this one. 

The struggling Old Gold will also have to do without Toti Gomes. The good news on that score is that the Portugal international is training with the first team again. How Wolves could do with the defender.

Mikel Arteta’s injury woes continue, with defender Riccardo Calafiori dropping out in the warm-up ahead of the FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic. The same scenario played out for the defender in December, when he withdrew during the warm-up ahead of a game against Brighton.

Calafiori joins Ben White on the defensive casualty list. The England centre-half went down with 10 minutes remaining in the FA Cup tie with Wigan. While Arteta would not be drawn on his ongoing availability in the aftermath, White himself took to Instagram to say he is fine. One to watch.

Martin Odegaard’s knee problem makes him a doubt, while Mikel Merino (foot) and Kai Havertz (muscle) are firmly sidelined. 

Good news for the Gunners, though; teen sensation Max Dowman is expected to return soon, with the north London derby on February 22 targeted.

Wolves vs Arsenal Odds

This is a tall order for the home side. That much is obvious from their current form and their 11/1 price reflects their plight. Arsenal are 2/7 to be victorious while the draw is on the market at 9/2.

The goalscorers market is led by Victor Gyokeres. The divisive striker is 7/2 to net the first goal or 21/20 to score anytime. Arsenal to win with a -2.00 handicap is 21/10.

Arsenal to score over 2.5 goals @ 5/4

The league’s second-top scorers play the Prem’s third-worst defence. This should be a doddle. Obviously games are not played on paper. Few predicted Manchester City to only stick two past a Salford side they hammered 8-0 last season. But football, as with life, often carries a grim and fatal inevitability.

For most of us that is the cold embrace of death, taxes and James Cameron releasing Avatar sequels until every actor in Tinsel Town has been painted blue at least once.

To be fair to Wolves, they have just won a football match. A resoundingly un-resounding 1-0 win over Grimsby Town in the FA Cup is not the salve for these gaping wounds, however. Business as usual, then.

Arsenal know where the goal is. In fact, Arteta’s men are so cognisant of the net’s location that they’ve started just sticking corner kicks straight into it. Whether it is by hook, crook or expertly-whipped dead-ball delivery; the Gunners are sharp-shooting their way to more than 2.5 goals in at Molineux.

Martin Zubimendi to score anytime @ 5/1

A cultured midfield all-rounder, Martin Zubimendi is vital at both ends of the pitch for Arteta’s side. His ability to win the ball deep and progress play is an important cog in the red-and-white machine. 

But his contributions in front of goal have steadily increased. Zubimendi has five Premier League goals, joint-second with Leandro Trossard in the Arsenal scoring hierarchy. 

Intriguingly, four of Zubimendi’s five league goals have come in his last eight games. The former Real Sociedad lynchpin is proving vital for Arteta, whether launching attacks from deep or scoring himself. I can see him doing the latter against a porous Wolves side over-concerned with the mercurial threat of Victor Gyokeres.

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