Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Wolverhampton will be looking to make amends for the FA Cup loss to Norwich City when they welcome Arsenal to Molineux Stadium on Thursday evening. The Wolves are on a three-game winning run in the national championship, but they face a difficult task in the midweek clash. Raul Jimenez is back from international duty, while both Hwang and Neto should miss out due to the lack of fitness.
The Gunners, on the other hand, continue life without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined Barca in the last transfer window, and, in his absence, Alexandre Lacazette will lead the line for the capital club. Anyhow, a close encounter is on the cards at Molineux Stadium, and we believe that there is a big value in betting on draw. Defender Cedric Soares is a major doubt, and he will be assessed ahead of the kick-off.
Highlighted Player (John Ruddy):
John Ruddy is a goalkeeper who was born in St Ives, England on 24 October, 1986. He played for a number of English clubs in the past and he started his senior career at Cambridge United. After making 39 appearances for Cambridge, he signed a deal with Everton for a fee of £250,000.
However, he failed to establish himself as the team’s first-choice shoot-stopper and as a result, he spent a bit part of his career on loan at Walsall, Rushden and Diamonds, Chester City, Stockport County, Wrexham, Bristol City, Crewe Alexandra and Motherwell. In 2010 he made a right decision when he signed for Norwich city for an undisclosed fee as he was immediately given the number 1 shirt. Two years later he received his first England call-up as Roy Hodgson decided to bring him to Euro 2012 finals.
However, Ruddy was forced to withdraw from the squad through injury. John Ruddy is married to Laura and his nickname is “The Iceman”. He was named Norwich City Players’ Player of the Year for the 2011/2012 season.
Highlighted Team (Arsenal):
Arsenal are regarded as one of the best English teams. The Gunners have won 12 FA Cup trophies, 13 league titles and two League Cups, but they have yet to lift the Champions League trophy. Arsene Wenger’s team were on the verge of beating Barcelona in the Champions League final back in 2006, but they eventually failed to win the prestigious title.
Arsenal used to play their homes at Highbury, but in 2006 they moved to the Emirates Stadium. The capacity of the stadium is 60,260. The Gunners won their last Premier League trophy back in 2004, with the capital club going through the season without a single loss. The likes of Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp and Robert Pires were part of the team back then, but Arsenal have not won the league trophy ever since.
Arsenal was founded by Woolwich munitions workers as Dial Square back in 1886. It is well known that Tottenham Hotspur are Arsenal’s fiercest rivals and there have always been fireworks when the two local rivals meet in the North London derby.