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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.
#2 A potential chance to go two points ahead of Chelsea
Chelsea had to pit their wits against Burnley, a side who haven't been much consistent in the defensive aspects of their game as they have conceded 62 goals this season in the league. However, luckily for Arsenal and Manchester United, they were able to snatch a draw which could prove to be much worse for Chelsea than it looks. Maurizio Sarri's men had a chance to go third, but they bottled it and are now 3 points behind Mauricio Pochettino's side.
So, the reason why this game is important for the Gunners is that if they get a win, they will be able to go 2 points clear of Chelsea and only 1 behind Tottenham, whereas a defeat could take them back to 6th, in case Man United somehow manage a win against Manchester City.
The return of Sokratis will let Emery get off his toes as Shkodran Mustafi has caused some serious problems for Arsenal this season. Emery is likely to shift back to a 3-4-1-2 formation and he will try his best not to include Mustafi from now on till the end of the season.
#1 Taking Manchester United out of the race
What makes this game even more interesting is that Manchester United have to play Man City next, and they're likely to succumb to a defeat considering their recent form, and in case Arsenal get the win, they will be 5 points ahead of Man United, potentially ending the Red Devils' dreams of playing Champions League football next season.
On the other hand, Chelsea have tough away fixtures against the Manchester United and Leicester. The Foxes took all the three points home when they last played Chelsea, despite the game being played at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal have a brilliant chance to solidify their position and Emery is likely to go with his best eleven. A win would totally change the ball game, with Arsenal having control of the 4th place with just three more league games to play.
