Nuno urges Wolves to play on the front foot against Arsenal

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo has urged Wolves to go for the kill against Arsenal.

Wolves have a better points-per-game ratio against the top six – 1.3 – than the bottom six – 1.1 and were held 0-0 by relegation-threatened Brighton on Saturday.

Arsenal crashed to a 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday and have won just two more points on the road, 22, than Wolves this season.

The Gunners have only the ninth best away record in the division and Nuno is eager to let his players off the leash.

“Every game is a new challenge, it’s a new opportunity to become better as a team and as players,” he said.

“That’s what we tell the players, compete to the maximum of your ability and just go for it. It’s not where we want to go, it’s just a game.

“Tomorrow, think about tomorrow. Play the game tomorrow and don’t think about anything else.”

The boss also continued to dismiss talk about Europe with Wolves in the hunt for seventh, which would earn them a Europa League qualifying spot if Manchester City beat Watford in the FA Cup.

“It’s about the next game. Nobody thinks about it because we don’t know what’s ahead of us,” he said, with Wolves 10th, one point behind Everton in seventh.

“We must focus on the present and the present says we work today for the game tomorrow and after that, we don’t know. It’s about keeping the same idea – don’t think about anything else.

“Just prepare yourself for the competition. We are a team that likes to play – just that.”

There are no fresh injury worries for Nuno who could stick with the same side despite their frustrating stalemate on Saturday.

Wolves aim to have 98.5 per cent availability in their small squad and have barely had an injury which has lasted more than two weeks.

Nuno added:  “It’s credit to the players – the way they work, the way they respect themselves, when they are here but also when they are at home.

“Of course here is a big part of it – the way they work, the way they rest, the way they recover.

“It’s credit to the players and, sometimes, some luck, to avoid what happens in football – knocks, all these things, but we have been able to sustain them and keep doing it well.

“I don’t like to talk about injuries because these things can happen, but fortunately we have been strong and holding up quite well in the competition.”