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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 34
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal
Molineux
Wolverhampton, England
Saturday, 20 April 2024
Kick-off is at 20h30
Arsenal have a chance to reclaim top spot in the
Premier League when they head to the Black Country for a clash with Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, April 20 in the late kick-off.
The Gunners suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on April 14 which allowed Manchester City to go two points clear of them at the league summit.
The Citizens thrashed Luton 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium on April 13 and Liverpool failed to respond after they were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace at Anfield the following day to remain third in the standings on goal difference.
MIkel Arteta's side saw an 11-match undefeated streak come to an end as the Villans did the league double over them for only the third time in the Premier League era.
Wanderers' top-10 challenge suffered a setback after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on April 13.
The West Midlands outfit are looking to finish in the top half of the table for only the fourth time in their history and they trail Brighton by a single point in 11th place.
The Seagulls (10th) also dropped points in a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley at Turf Moor, while Fulham boosted their top-10 hopes with a 2-0 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium on April 14 to close within a point of Gary O'Neil's side in 12th spot.
In team news, Pedro Neto (thigh) and Craig Dawson (groin) will miss the visit of Arsenal, although Rayan Ait-Nouri (calf), Nelson Semedo (thigh) and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (knee) could feature. Jurrien Timber (knee) is the only confirmed absentee for the visitors, who will check on the fitness of Martin Odegaard after he was substituted with a slight problem against Villa.
O'Neil admitted his squad is a bit stretched at the moment which made substitutions tricky against Forest as he wanted to give Matheus Cunha some time on the pitch together with Hwang Hee-Chan.
"It's the toughest spot I've ever been in trying to piece everything together, trying to make substitutions while trying to get Hee-Chan on with Cunha to get Cunha back in his usual spot, but then you know you've only got 10 minutes with them together," he said.
"If I take Joao [Gomes] off, I can't get him back on, so there's a lot to piece together which is why every point feels like a well-earned one. I know the group feel that way as well, so I'm desperate for them to get their next win because it's been a while."
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Arteta was disappointed that the Gunners failed to take their chances in the first half against Villa and has called on his players to stand up and be counted as they look to bounce back swiftly.
"We didn't score any goals and on top of that, we conceded two goals that are nowhere near the level that we've been at. That's the reason why we lost the game and you have to congratulate the opponent as well when you lose the game," the Spaniard said.
"Now is the moment to stand up as a leader, as a character to make yourself count because when you win and win and win and win for four months, it's very simple to do it. The moment is now."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Wolves wins - 0
Arsenal wins - 5
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 34 fixtures:
Saturday, April 20
16h00: Luton Town v Brentford
16h00: Sheffield United v Burnley
20h30: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal
Sunday, April 21
14h30: Everton v Nottingham Forest
16h00: Aston Villa v Bournemouth
16h00: Crystal Palace v West Ham United
17h30: Fulham v Liverpool
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