Expectations will be high at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday when Arsenal welcome Wolves for their first Premier League fixture of the new season.
Mikel Arteta will expect nothing less than a victory against the Midlands outfit. It is vital that Arsenal make a strong start in the league this season.
The standards at the top end of the table in the Premier League are now so high that a slow start could see the Gunners quickly fall out of contention in the title race.
Arsenal have some difficult early fixtures, but have looked sharp in pre-season, as they recently swatted aside both Lyon and the reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
The Gunners will want to make an early statement of intent against Wolves, and Arteta is likely to name a strong starting XI for this clash.
Paul Merson expects Arsenal to beat Wolves
Arsenal icon Paul Merson is convinced that his former club will cruise past Wolves.
Writing for Sportskeeda, he said: “Arsenal are the better team and should be able to win this game. Arsenal 3-0 Wolves.”
Certainly, having boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League last season, Arsenal will be determined to preserve a clean sheet on Saturday.
At the other end of the pitch, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus may feel that they have a point to prove.
Merson fears for Havertz and Jesus this season, as he doubts their ability to score enough goals to fire the Gunners to a title. The duo, if both make it onto the pitch, will be eager to get off the mark at the first opportunity this weekend.
Merson raises Arsenal injury concern
The profligacy of Havertz and Jesus is not Merson’s only concern when it comes to Arsenal. He also stated: “Gabriel [Magalhaes], [Declan] Rice, [Bukayo] Saka, and [Martin] Odegaard played a lot of matches last season. If Arsenal lose three of these players, they’re a run-of-the-mill team. They need to keep their players fit.
“[William] Saliba and Gabriel played more times than any other centre-back partnership in the Premier League last season, and Arsenal struggled when Saliba was injured [in the season before].”
Merson believes Arsenal and Liverpool share this weakness when it comes to a lack of quality strength in depth, and that if either club were to sustain a cluster of injuries to their key players then it would all but hand the title to Manchester City.
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