Everton will look to pull clear of the bottom three with a win over Wolves when the two sides meet in the Premier League on Saturday.
Everton are currently 17th in the Premier League table, and they are coming into the game against Wolves on the back of a comprehensive defeat against Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Wolves are 13th in the standings, and they have been quite inconsistent in the last few outings. They have lost three of the last five league matches and were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United in the last league outing.
Prior to that, they were involved in a 6-0 thumping against Brighton & Hove Albion and the Molineux outfit will be desperate to bounce back strongly with the statement result here.
They will fancy their chances against a struggling Everton side, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out all three points at home. Wolves managed to pick up a 2-1 win at Goodison Park earlier this season, and they will be hoping to complete a league double over the Toffees.
Our final away of 2022/23 this weekend. 👊#WOLEVE pic.twitter.com/oQ21woqEYd
— Everton (@Everton) May 15, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Wolverhampton Wanderers
The home side will be without the services of Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho because of injuries. Julen Lopetegui is likely to field his side in a 4-4-2 formation with Jose Sa in goal. Nelson Semedo and Toti will line up as the full-backs here, and the two players will look to contribute offensively during counter-attacks.
Nathan Collins will start alongside Max Kilman at the heart of the defence. Matheus Nunes and Pedro Neto will be deployed as the wingers here with Ruben Neves starting alongside Mario Lemina in the heart of the midfield.
Lemina and Neves will look to keep the side defensively compact and shield the back four. The likes of Neto and Nunes will look to add creativity and drive to the side. Matheus Cunha will lead the line for Wolves along with Hwang Hee-chan.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Toti; Nunes, Neves, Lemina, Neto; Hwang, Cunha
Everton
Everton have a number of injury issues to deal with. The Toffees will be without Andros Townsend, Seamus Coleman, Ruben Vinagre, Dele Alli and Ben Godfrey due to injuries. Jordan Pickford is set to continue in goal with Everton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will be the full-backs with Yerry Mina starting along with James Tarkowski at the heart of the defence. In the midfield pivot, Idrissa Gueye will start alongside James Garner. Gueye will look to break up the opposition attacks while Garner looks to recycle possession.
Abdoulaye Doucoure will start as the central attacking midfielder here and he will look to add drive to the side. Alex Iwobi and Dwight McNeil will continue as the wingers with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Patterson; Mina, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Iwobi, Doucoure, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have won their last three matches against Everton in all competitions.
- Wolves are unbeaten in four of the last six matches against Everton, across all competitions.
- 14 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Everton have failed to win four of the last five matches at the Molineux.
Player to Watch
Dwight McNeil
The Everton winger has been in splendid form in his last few outings, and he has four goals and an assist in his last six matches across all competitions. Everton will need his quality in the final third in order to break down the Wolves defence and create goalscoring opportunities. McNeil is full of confidence right now and he will look to guide the Toffees to a priceless win here.
Prediction
Wolves 1-1 Everton
Neither side are in impressive form right now, and this is likely to be a close contest. Both teams will be desperate to get back to winning ways, and they will fancy their chances against each other. This is likely to be an evenly-matched contest on current form, and the two sides are likely to cancel each other out. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two teams on Saturday.
