Overview
Not long ago, Arsenal also created a fairly safe gap at the top of the Premier League. However, at present, the pressure is mounting on coach Mikel Arteta and his team before hosting Wolves - the team at the bottom of the table and has yet to win any victory.
Arsenal entered the round of 16 with a gap of only two points compared to the second-placed team Manchester City, while Aston Villa - the third-placed team - was only three points behind.
Villa beat Arsenal in the final minutes of last week's game, and Man City took the opportunity with a 3-0 win over Sunderland to close the gap.
Although it cannot be called a crisis, it is clear that just a few small mistakes are enough to create big consequences. Arsenal will be keen to regain their winning streak this weekend, especially with both Man City and Villa playing later.
The schedule is also in Arsenal's favor, as Wolves - the team at the bottom of the table - will travel to the Emirates.
The "Wolves" appointment of Rob Edwards has not yet brought the expected results. Wolves continue to look forward to their first Premier League win of the season and have lost all four games under the new coach since he took office last month.
Wolves are currently eight points behind Burnley (ranked 19th) and 13 points away from safety. Opta's supercomputer predicts a 99.2% chance of relegation. The 1-4 loss to Manchester United further showed their fragility, when the opponent launched 27 shots.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are predicted to win 72.2%, and need a big shock to drop their points in this match.
Long since last season, Wolves have gone 19 Premier League games without a win and lost eight in a row, their worst run in the competition since 1984-1985 and 1981-82.
On the other hand, Arsenal are aiming for their fifth consecutive home win in the Premier League - something they have not done since January to April 2024. The Gunners have also won their last seven home games against bottom-placed sides since a 3-3 draw with Southampton in April 2023.
And no matter how sharp Arsenal's attack is, it is their defense that is a solid foundation in their championship race.
However, despite still having the best defense in the Premier League this season with only 9 goals conceded, Arsenal have conceded 6 goals in the last 5 matches in the tournament - double the number of goals conceded in the first 10 rounds.
Head-to-head record
Arsenal have scored in 35 consecutive meetings with Wolves in all competitions, since a 1-0 home defeat in February 1979.
In the history of English football, only the match between Wrexham - Darlington has a longer scoring streak in all competitions, with 49 matches from 1929 to 28.
Wolves have won just one of their last 14 away games against Arsenal in the Premier League (D4 L9), and have lost four in a row since the 2-1 win in November 2020.
Arsenal have also won eight consecutive Premier League games against Wolves - their longest run against a team since a run of 10 consecutive wins over Burnley in 2010-2019.
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves
The match between Arsenal and Wolves takes place at 3:00 am on December 14 (Vietnam time).
