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2022/23 English Premier League
Matchday 38
Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Emirates Stadium
London, England
Sunday, 28 May 2023
Kick-off is at 17h30
Arsenal will be looking to finish their season on a positive note when they welcome Wolves to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, May 28.
The Gunners appeared to be on course to win their first
Premier League title since 2003-04 after opening up a 12-point lead over defending champions Manchester City heading into the final two months of the campaign.
However, the wheels came off spectacularly as Mikel Arteta's side drew three and lost three of their last nine games to let City back into the title race, with the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground last Saturday ending their challenge.
It was their third loss in five matches and the North Londoners could go into the final round 10 points behind the newly-crowned champions, who lifted the trophy after the 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday.
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Wanderers secured their top-flight status earlier this month with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Molineux, although they've picked up just one point from their last two outings to sit 10 clear of the relegation zone in 13th position.
A 1-1 draw with Everton last Saturday saw them close within two points of Chelsea (12th), while West Ham (14th) and Bournemouth (15th) are breathing down their necks just one and two points behind respectively.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace (11th) are three points better off but cannot be overtaken by Julen Lopetegui's team due to a vastly superior goal difference.
Arsenal are the second-highest scorers in the league with 83 goals, thanks in part to the efforts of Martin Odegaard, who is their joint-top scorer with 15. The Norwegian enjoyed a productive last month, netting five goals in five games prior to the defeats against Brighton and Forest, which saw his team fail to get on the scoresheet.
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Ruben Neves has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in the off-season and was seen waving to the home fans after the final home game of the campaign against the Toffees, leading to speculation that he was bidding them farewell. The Portuguese midfielder, who has contributed six goals and one assist in 34 appearances, could sign off in style against another one of his would-be suitors.
In team news, the hosts continue to be without Gabriel Martinelli (ankle), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf), William Saliba (back), Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny (both knee), while Francisco Tavares and Sasa Kalajdzic (both knee) won't make the trip to the capital.
Arteta is demanding a response from his players in a bid to give some joy back the supporters, whom he says took the team to new heights this season.
"Today is too painful and I think we have to heal now for the next three days. Make sure we prepare well this week, we have a huge responsibility to give our people the best possible performance and a win, with the support and everything that they've done for the team, and we need to do that first," the Spaniard said.
"We need to get rid of this feeling that we have right now. [We need to] show a lot of appreciation and gratitude for everything that they've done for the team. They've been incredible and the belief has transformed the team, individually and collectively. We have to give our best to give that back."
Lopetegui hopes to improve his squad during the next transfer window as he aims to do more than just fight for survival in 2023-24, having pulled off the impossible by staving off relegation this term.
"We will see what is going to happen. In the summer, the aim is to always improve your squad. This year we have had a very hard year, for a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons is that we have this summer to improve our squad," the Spaniard said.
"That is why all of us in the club have to be ready to do it because the rest of the teams in the Premier League are going to be doing this too. If you want to compete in the Premier League you have to do all these things in the summer to be a better team and a better squad for the next year."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Arsenal - 3
Wolves - 2
Draws - 0
Matchday 38 fixtures:
Sunday, May 28
17h30: Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers
17h30: Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion
17h30: Brentford v Manchester City
17h30: Chelsea v Newcastle United
17h30: Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
17h30: Everton v Bournemouth
17h30: Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur
17h30: Leicester City v West Ham United
17h30: Manchester United v Fulham
17h30: Southampton v Liverpool
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