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Alright so today I wanna walk you through how I actually put together that Wolves lineup prediction post. Started yesterday morning with my usual coffee scrolling – checked the Arsenal injury reports first thing. Saw those old updates about Tomiyasu and Timber still being out, but nothing new had dropped overnight.
Digging Into the Stuff That Matters
Honestly, finding reliable stuff online is a pain. Scrolled through maybe ten different rumor sites before I found any actual quotes. Remembered Arteta talking last week about players “needing rhythm” or whatever. So that got me thinking he might not rotate much even though it’s “just” Wolves at home. Everyone knows this dude loves sticking with his main guys.
Then I pulled up my notes from the last few matches:
- Goalie: Obviously Raya keeps his spot. Ramsdale warming that bench is basically permanent now.
- Defense: Gabriel and Saliba at CB – like cement, those two ain’t moving. Kiwior’s been okay covering for Zinchenko, but I think Arteta will switch him out if Oleks is fit again. White stays put on the right – dude’s solid.
- Midfield: Total headache. Rice is an automatic start. But then it’s guessing time: Does Partey walk straight back in after missing games? Or does Jorginho keep that spot after doing decent? My gut said Jorginho stays. And for attacking midfield, gotta be Odegaard – captain’s armband means he’s nailed on unless his leg falls off.
- Forwards: Saka and Martinelli felt obvious on the wings. But then Havertz… man. Been scoring lately, right? So even though I saw folks online screaming for Jesus to start up top, I stuck with Havertz. Think Arteta likes his weird hybrid role stuff.
Putting It Down On Paper
Flipped open the laptop feeling kinda confident. Started typing my usual “Here’s who I think Mikel picks…” spiel. Remembered last time I tried predicting against Chelsea though – totally messed up the midfield setup. Almost backspaced the whole thing.
Went back and stared at those choices:
- My Predicted XI: Raya – White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko – Rice, Jorginho, Odegaard – Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
- Doubts: Kept second-guessing Zinchenko’s fitness and Partey replacing Jorginho. And yeah, that Havertz call over Jesus felt like flipping a coin honestly.
Finished typing it all out, hit publish, and immediately thought “Probably got three things wrong.” Classic Arsenal lineup stress. Maybe I’m overthinking it, maybe Arteta’s just gonna shock us all and start Nelson. Who knows? Just gotta wait for the official team sheet.