Wolves are preparing for their Premier League opener against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
Gary O’Neil will be hoping for a miracle from Wolves’ opening day test against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The Old Gold will have belief that three points can be taken back to the Midlands but will also be wary of the task at hand.
Last season, Wolves took no points from their two battles against Arsenal, recording an aggregate score of 4-1 as Matheus Cunha scored at the Emirates in December.
O’Neil will be hopeful that the Brazilian is fit to go to war with Mikel Arteta’s side, as Cunha is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during pre-season.
Aside from injuries and the calibre of the opponent, Wolves will be eager to start the season with a positive performance however, fans are already fearful for the fixture for one key reason.
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Wolves fans react as Jarred Gillett is named as the referee for Arsenal clash
On Tuesday, the Premier League revealed the officials for the first round of matches in the 2024/25 calendar.
Jarred Gillett has been confirmed as the referee to oversee Wolves’ trip to the Emirates, a decision that has caused quite a stir amongst fans.
Reacting to the news on X, the consensus from Wolves supporters is that there perhaps couldn’t be a worse choice of referee to open the season with.
“Arsenal away first game and Gillett in charge. The Premier League absolutely hates us,” one fan said.
Another supporter suggested that appointing Gillett was payback for Wolves calling for VAR to be scrapped, “Better get used to it. Voting to scrap VAR and failing was never going to make it easy.”
One Wolves fan implied that the appointment suits Arsenal, “Premier League giving gifts already to the top 6 then?” as another said, “You couldn’t make it up.”
The difficulty of facing Arsenal in North London was punishment enough for Wolves, one supporter believes, “Terrible start fixture wise oh well it can’t get any worse, PGMOL hold my beer.”
Another loyal fan made light of the announcement, “He’ll send Semedo off even though Nelson’s suspended.”
Fans don’t have fond memories of Gillett being in charge of Wolves fixtures, with one of the most unbelievable moments coming against Southampton in 2023.
Mario Lemina was sent off against the Saints for running aggressively towards Gillett, a decision that stunned many.
Gary O’Neil will want an opening day with no drama
While a win for Wolves will be a challenge on paper, O’Neil will be focused on seeing his side put on a bright display against the Gunners.
A nightmare scenario for the manager would be another controversy from the officials, as the Old Gold suffered so many times at the hands of PGMOL last season.
The opening day of the 2023/24 campaign marked O’Neil’s first fixture in charge of the club, a contest that was clouded by a refereeing error as Wolves were denied a penalty against Manchester United.
All the squad can do is ensure that their football does the talking in North London, with their pre-season performances proving that the current crop of players are more than capable of causing an upset.