Arsenal will get their Premier League campaign underway against Wolves at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
Arsenal need a strong start this season. The standards demanded to seriously challenge for the Premier League title are now so high that a slow start could see the Gunners’ aspirations for the entire campaign crumble in a matter of weeks.
Mikel Arteta is expected to name a strong starting XI against Wolves, and the North London club ought to have what it takes to record the victory they crave in this fixture. Certainly, they are heavy favourites to take all three points.
Paul Merson expects Arsenal to beat Wolves by a 3-0 scoreline. Arteta’s side will certainly be eager to keep a clean sheet. Having recorded the best defensive record in the top flight of English football last season, the Arsenal rearguard will be aiming to exhibit their enduring solidity from the off.
Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori may well be afforded his competitive Arsenal debut, having signed from Bologna earlier this summer.
The rest of Arsenal’s key players will be eager to make strong statements, too. The likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice, amongst others, will all need to remain fit and firing on all cylinders throughout the season if the club are to achieve their aims. They will intend to start as they mean to go on against Wolves.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has faith in Wolves ace
Wolves themselves added a Norwegian to their ranks, in the shape of Jorgen Strand Larsen, who joined on loan from Celta Vigo this summer.
The Arsenal skipper is familiar with the winger, having played alongside him at international level.
As quoted by the official Arsenal website ahead of this match, the playmaker said: “They have signed Jorgen Strand Larsen, who is somebody I know well from the national team. I spoke with him last week about coming over to England. It’s a good opportunity for him to play in the Premier League.”
He then added a playful quip: “He’s a good guy and I wish him luck, but starting from matchday two!”
Arsenal need Odegaard to shine
Odegaard’s importance to Arteta’s squad can hardly be overstated. The former Real Madrid man is central to how the Gunners operate with and without the ball. When they are out of possession, he leads and orchestrates the press and is relentless in his commitment to this cause.
When the North Londoners are attacking themselves, he is at the heart of how they construct their moves in the final third. Ally McCoist tipped Odegaard to win Player of the Season in the upcoming campaign, as Arteta needs him to live up to that prediction.
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