North London is ready for the Premer League kick-off on Saturday when Wolves head to Emirates Stadium, and Mikel Arteta’s team will be hungry to start perfectly with a third-straight opening-day win.
After a successful pre-season that saw us win four of our five matches, including successes against Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon last week, we’re back home again to face a side who have won just once on their last 13 visits to our corner of the capital.
Given we have won 16 of our 18 Premier League games in 2024, belief is high that Arteta’s team will take the first step towards a third-straight title challenge this weekend in front of a packed house excited to see if 2024/25 is the year we return to the summit of English football.
Wolves reworked
Last season saw Gary O’Neil take charge five days before the start of the campaign, and despite his team being labelled relegation candidates, he pushed them into European contention before a poor run of one win from their final 10 matches saw them finish 14th.
Norwegian striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was soon recruited on loan from Celta Vigo who netted 13 times in La Liga last term. Tommy Doyle has seen his switch from Manchester City confirmed, promising Portuguese under-21 winger Rodrigo Gomes arrived from Braga, while 18-year-old right-back Pedro Lima was captured from Sport Recife.
However the outgoings from Molineux have made bigger headlines. £40 million saw captain and ever-present Max Kilman depart for West Ham United, while influential winger Pedro Neto was purchased by Chelsea for £54 million, leaving plenty of money in the coffers, but gaping holes in their line-up.
Their summer schedule has been a mixed bag, with wins against Como and Bristol City coming before jetting to the USA, where they beat West Ham 3-1 with Gomes netting twice. Then came a loss to Crystal Palace by the same scoreline before Gomes again netted in a 3-0 success against RB Leipzig before returning home, where they suffered a 1-0 loss to Real Vallacano on Saturday.
What the managers say
Arteta: "We are really excited. We’ve been missing the competition for many weeks, it’s too long for us. We are so willing to start and so enthusiastic about it.
"Gary [O’Neill] and his staff have done exceptional work and it’s a really competitive match. They are really tricky to attack, they are very tricky to contain, they create chances in various ways. We need to be at our best and if we do that we have a good chance to win the game."
O’Neil: "[Arsenal] are a good side, they've had a good pre-season. They look equally as good, if not better than last year. These early fixtures can be misleading but it's a tough fixture nevertheless. You go to the Emirates, you know what to expect, it's going to be full throttle, they're going to be in your face, they're going to be desperate to go one step further than they did last season.
"They start with a home game for them that will be very important but from our side, I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do, what problems we can cause them and how well we can cope with the issues they'll impose on us."
Team news
Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber missed the Emirates Cup win against Lyon last Sunday with hip and foot issues respectively, but both could be in contention to feature in the season opener.
Takehiro Tomiyasu missed our pre-season campaign with a knee injury and looks to be out for the next few weeks, while Kieran Tierney also sat out the summer matches after picking up a hamstring injury at Euro 2024 while representing Scotland. However, Riccardo Calafiori could be in line to make his debut.
Matheu Cunha limped off with a hamstring injury in the USA but O'Neil has indicated he is back in training and will be available, while Mario Lemina and Larsen both picked up issues against Real Vallacano on Saturday but also should be OK.
Nelson Semedo is suspended after being red-carded against Liverpool on the final day of last season, while youngsters Leon Chiwome and Enso Gonzalez are out. Daniel Podence, who spent last season on loan at Olympiakos, is struggling with a knee injury.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Having mainly used a back three during his time with Wolves, O’Neil has worked almost exclusively on a 4-2-3-1 during pre-season.
Wolves are a terrific counter-attacking side blessed with bags of pace. In 2023/24 Bournemouth and Liverpool were the only two top-flight teams to rack up more shots from fast breaks than Wolves, who ranked first for the highest number of completed dribbles.
Energy, aggression and a willingness to adapt their approach according to their opponents are their other hallmarks, with 6’4” target man Larsen providing a fresh tactical option to play a little more direct. They netted 14 goals from dead-ball situations last season, representing a healthy 28 per cent share of their overall tally.
However, despite having a wealth of attacking talent, they had the second-fewest attempts on goal in 2023/24, just ahead of Sheffield United. It was the same story for touches inside the opposition box, so O’Neill will want better decisions inside the final third this term.
Facts and stats
We have won each of our last six Premier League matches against Wolves, our joint-longest winning run against them in the competition.
Wolves have won just one of their last 13 away top-flight visits to us (D4 L8), winning 2-1 at the Emirates in November 2020 under Nuno Espírito Santo.
We have scored in each of our last 33 meetings with Wolves in all competitions, since a 1-0 home loss in February 1979. It’s both our longest scoring streak against an opponent, and Wolves’ longest run without a clean sheet against a side in their respective histories.
We have won their opening Premier League match in each of the last two seasons, beating Crystal Palace in 2022/23 and Nottingham Forest last season. We last started a season with a win in three seasons in a row between 2007/08 and 2009/10.
Wolves have lost their opening Premier League game in each of the last three seasons. They have never started a league season with defeat in four seasons in a row in their history.
Wolves lost five of their last six Premier League games in 2023/24, including the last three in a row.
Martin Odegaard has scored more Premier League goals against Wolves (4) than he has against any other opponent.
Match officials
Jarrod Gillett gets our season underway this weekend, with the Australian last in charge of us back in February when we beat Burnley 5-0. That was one of four victories out of the six occasions Gillett has refereed one of our matches, although his other appointment last term saw us lose at Aston Villa.
His last Wolves game saw them defeated 4-3 by Manchester United last February, which was the only time they have lost on his watch, which stands at five games before this weekend.
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistants: Darren Cann, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official: Gavin Ward
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Natalie Aspinall
Recent meetings in N5
Last season’s equivalent encounter saw us claim a 2-1 success in December, when early goals for Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard put us in control, before a late Matheus Cunha strike left us hanging on to the three points.
Before then we wrapped up the 2022/23 season with a 5-0 win on the final day, as Granit Xhaka marked his farewell appearance with a brace, while Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Jakub Kiwior also got on the scoresheet during a fine display.
February 2022 saw us claim victory in much more dramatic circumstances. Hwang Hee-chan gave the visitors a 10th-minute lead, but Nicolas Pepe came off the bench to equalise with eight minutes remaining, and in stoppage time Alexandre Lacazette’s cross-shot went in off Jose Sa complete the turnaround.
How to watch
With this game not selected for live coverage in the UK, enjoy the best pre-match build-up with our new matchday show Live from N5!
Every men’s home matchday throughout the 2024/25 season, the show will be beamed live from Emirates Stadium starting one hour before kick-off, taking you behind the curtain at home matches as well as to Sobha Realty Training Centre to hear from the squad.
For our first show on Saturday, Talia Lazarus and Sharky will be your hosts, and they'll be joined by Gunners legend and skipper of the Invincibes Patrick Vieira to get the new show off to a bang!
NBA star Josh Richardson of the Miami Heat, and social media creator and train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois will also be popping by to give their thoughts on all-things Arsenal.
We'll take you behind the scenes at this week's Premier League media day, and the squad give us their answers to our Question of the Day.
Frimmy will be out and about with supporters and taking you pitchside just before the action gets underway, and there will be a chance to win a brand new 2024/25 third shirt - catch it all from 2pm!
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
North London is ready for the Premer League kick-off on Saturday when Wolves head to Emirates Stadium, and Mikel Arteta’s team will be hungry to start perfectly with a third-straight opening-day win.
After a successful pre-season that saw us win four of our five matches, including successes against Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon last week, we’re back home again to face a side who have won just once on their last 13 visits to our corner of the capital.
Given we have won 16 of our 18 Premier League games in 2024, belief is high that Arteta’s team will take the first step towards a third-straight title challenge this weekend in front of a packed house excited to see if 2024/25 is the year we return to the summit of English football.
Wolves reworked
Last season saw Gary O’Neil take charge five days before the start of the campaign, and despite his team being labelled relegation candidates, he pushed them into European contention before a poor run of one win from their final 10 matches saw them finish 14th.
Norwegian striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was soon recruited on loan from Celta Vigo who netted 13 times in La Liga last term. Tommy Doyle has seen his switch from Manchester City confirmed, promising Portuguese under-21 winger Rodrigo Gomes arrived from Braga, while 18-year-old right-back Pedro Lima was captured from Sport Recife.
However the outgoings from Molineux have made bigger headlines. £40 million saw captain and ever-present Max Kilman depart for West Ham United, while influential winger Pedro Neto was purchased by Chelsea for £54 million, leaving plenty of money in the coffers, but gaping holes in their line-up.
Their summer schedule has been a mixed bag, with wins against Como and Bristol City coming before jetting to the USA, where they beat West Ham 3-1 with Gomes netting twice. Then came a loss to Crystal Palace by the same scoreline before Gomes again netted in a 3-0 success against RB Leipzig before returning home, where they suffered a 1-0 loss to Real Vallacano on Saturday.
What the managers say
Arteta: "We are really excited. We’ve been missing the competition for many weeks, it’s too long for us. We are so willing to start and so enthusiastic about it.
"Gary [O’Neill] and his staff have done exceptional work and it’s a really competitive match. They are really tricky to attack, they are very tricky to contain, they create chances in various ways. We need to be at our best and if we do that we have a good chance to win the game."
O’Neil: "[Arsenal] are a good side, they've had a good pre-season. They look equally as good, if not better than last year. These early fixtures can be misleading but it's a tough fixture nevertheless. You go to the Emirates, you know what to expect, it's going to be full throttle, they're going to be in your face, they're going to be desperate to go one step further than they did last season.
"They start with a home game for them that will be very important but from our side, I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do, what problems we can cause them and how well we can cope with the issues they'll impose on us."
Team news
Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber missed the Emirates Cup win against Lyon last Sunday with hip and foot issues respectively, but both could be in contention to feature in the season opener.
Takehiro Tomiyasu missed our pre-season campaign with a knee injury and looks to be out for the next few weeks, while Kieran Tierney also sat out the summer matches after picking up a hamstring injury at Euro 2024 while representing Scotland. However, Riccardo Calafiori could be in line to make his debut.
Matheu Cunha limped off with a hamstring injury in the USA but O'Neil has indicated he is back in training and will be available, while Mario Lemina and Larsen both picked up issues against Real Vallacano on Saturday but also should be OK.
Nelson Semedo is suspended after being red-carded against Liverpool on the final day of last season, while youngsters Leon Chiwome and Enso Gonzalez are out. Daniel Podence, who spent last season on loan at Olympiakos, is struggling with a knee injury.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Having mainly used a back three during his time with Wolves, O’Neil has worked almost exclusively on a 4-2-3-1 during pre-season.
Wolves are a terrific counter-attacking side blessed with bags of pace. In 2023/24 Bournemouth and Liverpool were the only two top-flight teams to rack up more shots from fast breaks than Wolves, who ranked first for the highest number of completed dribbles.
Energy, aggression and a willingness to adapt their approach according to their opponents are their other hallmarks, with 6’4” target man Larsen providing a fresh tactical option to play a little more direct. They netted 14 goals from dead-ball situations last season, representing a healthy 28 per cent share of their overall tally.
However, despite having a wealth of attacking talent, they had the second-fewest attempts on goal in 2023/24, just ahead of Sheffield United. It was the same story for touches inside the opposition box, so O’Neill will want better decisions inside the final third this term.
Facts and stats
We have won each of our last six Premier League matches against Wolves, our joint-longest winning run against them in the competition.
Wolves have won just one of their last 13 away top-flight visits to us (D4 L8), winning 2-1 at the Emirates in November 2020 under Nuno Espírito Santo.
We have scored in each of our last 33 meetings with Wolves in all competitions, since a 1-0 home loss in February 1979. It’s both our longest scoring streak against an opponent, and Wolves’ longest run without a clean sheet against a side in their respective histories.
We have won their opening Premier League match in each of the last two seasons, beating Crystal Palace in 2022/23 and Nottingham Forest last season. We last started a season with a win in three seasons in a row between 2007/08 and 2009/10.
Wolves have lost their opening Premier League game in each of the last three seasons. They have never started a league season with defeat in four seasons in a row in their history.
Wolves lost five of their last six Premier League games in 2023/24, including the last three in a row.
Martin Odegaard has scored more Premier League goals against Wolves (4) than he has against any other opponent.
Match officials
Jarrod Gillett gets our season underway this weekend, with the Australian last in charge of us back in February when we beat Burnley 5-0. That was one of four victories out of the six occasions Gillett has refereed one of our matches, although his other appointment last term saw us lose at Aston Villa.
His last Wolves game saw them defeated 4-3 by Manchester United last February, which was the only time they have lost on his watch, which stands at five games before this weekend.
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistants: Darren Cann, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official: Gavin Ward
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Natalie Aspinall
Recent meetings in N5
Last season’s equivalent encounter saw us claim a 2-1 success in December, when early goals for Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard put us in control, before a late Matheus Cunha strike left us hanging on to the three points.
Before then we wrapped up the 2022/23 season with a 5-0 win on the final day, as Granit Xhaka marked his farewell appearance with a brace, while Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Jakub Kiwior also got on the scoresheet during a fine display.
February 2022 saw us claim victory in much more dramatic circumstances. Hwang Hee-chan gave the visitors a 10th-minute lead, but Nicolas Pepe came off the bench to equalise with eight minutes remaining, and in stoppage time Alexandre Lacazette’s cross-shot went in off Jose Sa complete the turnaround.
How to watch
With this game not selected for live coverage in the UK, enjoy the best pre-match build-up with our new matchday show Live from N5!
Every men’s home matchday throughout the 2024/25 season, the show will be beamed live from Emirates Stadium starting one hour before kick-off, taking you behind the curtain at home matches as well as to Sobha Realty Training Centre to hear from the squad.
For our first show on Saturday, Talia Lazarus and Sharky will be your hosts, and they'll be joined by Gunners legend and skipper of the Invincibes Patrick Vieira to get the new show off to a bang!
NBA star Josh Richardson of the Miami Heat, and social media creator and train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois will also be popping by to give their thoughts on all-things Arsenal.
We'll take you behind the scenes at this week's Premier League media day, and the squad give us their answers to our Question of the Day.
Frimmy will be out and about with supporters and taking you pitchside just before the action gets underway, and there will be a chance to win a brand new 2024/25 third shirt - catch it all from 2pm!