Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Molineux to face Wolves, hoping to bounce back from their disappointing defeat against Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
Tottenham managed to pick up back-to-back wins over London rivals West Ham United and Chelsea in their last two league matches and will hope to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League with a victory away from home at the Molineux against Wolves.
Spurs are fourth in the league table and cannot afford to drop points, with rivals Newcastle United and Liverpool breathing down their necks. But Tottenham will be desperate to bounce back after a shock defeat to Sheffield United in the FA Cup this week.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton Wanderers were beaten by Liverpool in their last league match, and they are three points clear of the drop zone. They could easily be dragged back into the relegation dogfight if they keep dropping points. So the home side will hope to bounce back with a positive result here.
Tottenham have shown that they can be quite inconsistent, and Wolves will fancy their chances of getting something out of this game. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Wolverhampton Wanderers
The home side will be without the services of Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore, Hugo Bueno, Chiquinho and Hwang Hee-chan because of injuries. Bueno picked up an injury against Liverpool in the last game, and the others remain long-term absentees.
Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri will start as the full-backs, with Craig Dawson and Max Kilman at the heart of the defence. Ruben Neves will feature in the midfield pivot alongside Mario Lemina. And the duo will look to add defensive cover and creativity from the deep.
Adama Traore and Pedro Neto are expected to line up as the wingers here. The two wide attackers will hope to add flair and pace from the wide areas, with Raul Jimenez leading the line. Pablo Sarabia is likely to start in a free role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Lemina, Neves; Traore, Sarabia, Neto; Jimenez
Tottenham
Cristian Stellini is without the services of Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ryan Sessegnon. Emerson Royal missed the cup game against Sheffield United because of a knee injury, but he is expected to return here.
Cristian Stellini with the team news ahead of #WOLTOT 🗣
Including an update on the fitness of Emerson Royal… pic.twitter.com/wvKEZL2jeh
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 3, 2023
Spurs are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Fraser Forster in goal. Cristian Romero will partner Eric Dier and Clement Lenglet in the back three. Emerson Royal and Ben Davies are set to be deployed as the wing-backs. The wide duo will hope to add width and creativity to the side and protect the central defenders as well.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will start alongside Oliver Skipp in the middle of the park. While the Danish international will look to drop deep and break up the opposition’s play, Skipp will look to add goals and creativity to the side.
Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison are likely to start as the wide attacking midfielders. And they will hope to link up with striker Harry Kane and create opportunities for the visitors. So Son Heung-min will be an option on the bench for Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Forster; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Davies; Kulusevski, Richarlison; Kane
Key Stats
- Tottenham are undefeated in their last seven away matches against Wolves in all competitions.
- Coming into this game, Wolverhampton Wanderers have picked up seven points from their last five games.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have fired blanks in 11 games this season.
- Out of 16 previous meetings, Wolverhampton Wanderers have won five matches, while Tottenham Hotspur have won 7. 4 matches between them have ended in a draw.
- Tottenham have scored 12 goals from corners this season, a league high.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
📍 Hotspur Way pic.twitter.com/R1BIuiGsVQ
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 2, 2023
Harry Kane has been in superb form this season, and he has 18 goals in the Premier League. The 29-year-old will be Spurs’ go-to man and will have to step up for the away side to pick up all three points here. Kane produced an outstanding display against Chelsea in the last league game and will hope to build on that performance here and get on the scoresheet once again.
Prediction
Wolves 1-2 Tottenham
Tottenham are certainly the better side heading into this contest and they are in better form as well.
However, the Londoners can be quite inconsistent and Wolves have the players to take advantage of that and produce a surprise result here.
This is likely to be a close contest but Tottenham have the experience and ability to grind out all three points in the end. A narrow 2-1 win for the away side is on the cards this Saturday.
