This is definitely not a slight against Wolves, as Wolverhampton Wanderers are indeed a formidable opponent, but the Premier League season opener may serve as a sort of preseason game for a key quintet on this Arsenal side. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and David Raya were all on extended tours of duty with their respective nations, at the 2024 European Championships. All but one, Saliba, advanced to the title game of Euro 2024.
That meant they took their summer holidays much later in the season, and that meant they were not involved too much in most of Arsenal’s preseason friendlies.
Season Opener FYIs
Arsenal FC vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Kickoff: 3pm, Saturday Aug. 17, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal FC Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Result Probability: Wolves 7% Arsenal FC 80% Draw 13%
Oh well, too bad! The games count now, so they’ll just have to hit the ground running. Expect the foursome to start here. Arteta will go with his strongest first choice side possible versus Wolves at the Emirates on Saturday.
Arsenal FC Starting XI Prediction vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.