Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley will be desperate for the three points when they clash at the Molineux on Tuesday.
The matches are coming thick and fast in the Premier League, with the festive period kicking in this month. Gameweek 15 of the 2023/24 season gets underway only 48 hours after the previous round of fixtures ended. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley will begin the proceedings when they lock horns at the Molineux on Tuesday evening.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have somewhat dropped the ball in recent games after a decent run before the international break. Gary O’Neil’s men have lost their last two Premier League games, with the run stopping them from closing the gap to the top half. But while they gave a good account of themselves against Arsenal, the defeat to Fulham might still sting due to the poor officiating.
On the other hand, Burnley might have finally produced a season-defining result this past weekend. The Clarets notched up their second Premier League win of the season by smashing Sheffield United black and blue in a 5-0 victory to get off the foot of the table. Vincent Kompany will hope his men can now embark on a relegation-defying run in the coming weeks.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley played out a goalless draw the last time they locked horns in the Premier League at the Molineux. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Gary O’Neil has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Burnley on Tuesday, the Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be bereft of the services of seven first-team players.
Jose Sa has trained since picking up a back injury this past weekend against Arsenal and should be available to take on Burnley. In addition, Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes are back after serving their suspensions. But the game has come too soon for Rayan Ait-Nouri (ankle).
So Hugo Bueno will deputise as the left wing-back, with Nelson Semedo featuring on the right flank. Meanwhile, Joe Hodge (shoulder) and Pedro Neto (hamstring) remain in the treatment room, while Jonny Otto is unavailable due to what seems to be a disciplinary issue.
Sa should take his spot between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him. The central defensive partnership should feature Craig Dawson, Max Kilman, and Toti Gomes.
As for the midfield unit, Gomes and Lemina will return to the starting eleven straightaway, joining Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in the middle of the park. Finally, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan should spearhead the Wolverhampton Wanderers attack against Burnley.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sa; Dawson, Kilman, Toti; Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Bellegarde, Hugo Bueno; Cunha, Hwang
Burnley
Unlike his counterpart in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dugout, Vincent Kompany has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Molineux. The Burnley manager should be without five first-team players on Tuesday.
Jordan Beyer is the latest absentee, with the German defender serving a suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season. Beyer has joined Arijanet Muric (illness), Josh Cullen (knock), Jack Cork (calf), and Lyle Foster on the sidelines.
James Trafford will take his spot between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Hjalmar Ekdal should pair up with Dara O’Shea in the central defensive partnership, with Vitinho and Charlie Taylor being the full-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Josh Brownhill will hold the fort in the middle of the park. Jacob Bruun Larsen and Luca Koleosho will likely feature on the flanks, looking to remain compact during the defensive phases. Finally, Zeki Amdouni and Jay Rodriguez should be the two strikers.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Ekdal, Taylor; Bruun Larsen, Berge, Brownhill, Koleosho; Amdouni, Rodriguez
Key Stats
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to win their last seven games against Burnley, with their most recent victory coming in September 2018 (D3 L4).
- Burnley have kept a clean sheet in the most recent three meetings with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Clarets have lost just one of their last 12 clashes against the Black Country outfit.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to win their last five Premier League games against newly promoted sides (D3 L2), having been unbeaten in seven previous clashes before this run (W3 D4).
- Burnley have picked up more points on the road this season (four) than they have on their own patch (three). The Clarets had lost all seven of their top-flight home matches this season before beating Sheffield United this past weekend.
- Both teams have scored in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ last 12 matches across league and cup. Meanwhile, Gary O’Neil’s men have not failed to find the back of the net since their opening game this season.
Player to Watch
Hwang Hee-chan
Hwang Hee-chan was hot off the blocks this season, scoring several crucial strikes for Wolverhampton Wanderers, including delivering three points against Manchester City. But the goals have dried up to some extent since Pedro Neto picked up a hamstring injury.
Neto’s absence has adversely impacted the team’s creative output, thus affecting Hwang’s prospects in the final third. But he needs to rise to the occasion for the hosts to end their recent losing run and rise through the table again.
Prediction
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Burnley
The result this past weekend has come at an opportune time for Burnley, and the morale in the camp should have gone up several notches. On the other hand, luck has deserted Wolverhampton Wanderers in the last two games, and they will be eager to end their losing run.
There is not much to separate the two teams ahead of Tuesday’s fixture, and that should reflect throughout the proceedings. In the end, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley should produce a closely contested affair, which should end in a 1-1 draw.
