Wolves vs Arsenal: 3 reasons why it is a must-win game for the Gunners
It is that stage of the season where each and every point counts, and the fact that Arsenal dropped three very vital points at the Emirates against Crystal Palace last weekend makes the game at the Molineux a must-win one for Unai Emery and his men.
It seems like the manager fumbled for ideas against Roy Hodgson's side as he deployed Matteo Guendouzi and Mohamed Elneny, two of Arsenal's bench players, despite knowing he did not have Sokratis Papastathopoulos in his line up. It was a tough call and Emery had to rotate his players for the away trip against Wolves, but the decision backfired. On the other hand, Wolves dropped points against 17th-placed Brighton at home as the game ended in a goalless draw. Both teams come into this game with not-so-good performances in the recent week, which makes this fixture even more exciting.
Wolves are fighting for the Europa League spot as Nuno's men are only two points behind Watford, who sit at 7th, but having played a game more. If Arsenal are handed a defeat tonight, their hopes of a top-four finish will take a huge hit, despite Chelsea dropping 2 points against Burnley on Monday. These are the three reasons why this game is a must-win fixture for the north London side.
#3 Two tough away fixtures yet to come
Arsenal have to play Leicester and Burnley away, after playing Wolves tonight. A Europa League fixture against Valencia is squeezed in as well, which makes the run-in even more difficult. If Arsenal fail to get a result against Nuno's men, the pressure on the players for the last three games will be immense, and this Arsenal squad haven't been impressive when it comes to displaying character and will to succeed on the pitch.
Arsenal seem to have improved on their away form as the Gunners won two back-to-back away games, keeping two clean sheets as well: against Watford in the league and against Napoli in the Europa League. However, Arsenal were helped by the fact that Watford's Troy Deeney left the pitch with a red card in the 15th minute, and they were already 2 goals up against Napoli before going into the return leg.
Well, that won't be the case tonight. Emery's men will have to fight tooth and nail to score against a robust side like Wolves, and the home side's goalscoring threats are not to be underestimated. When these two teams last met in the Premier League, Arsenal were lucky to grab a point through Henrikh Mkhitaryan's cross, which luckily ended in the back of the net as Rui Patricio failed to judge it.