Wolves will host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Molineux on Saturday, looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat against Manchester City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were in impressive form prior to the defeat to Manchester City, and they had picked up five Premier League wins in a row. They will look to finish the season strongly and get back to winning ways here. Wolves are full of confidence and momentum right now, and they will look to grind out all three points vs Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Brighton have been quite disappointing in recent weeks, with just one win from their last six league matches. The Seagulls are tenth in the league table, but they could drop out of the top half if they continue to drop points. It will be interesting to see if they can raise their performance levels and bounce back strongly.
Fabian Hurzeler’s men have the quality to finish the season strongly, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a victory here. The last time these two sides met in the league, they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw. It remains to be seen who comes out on top here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Wolves
Wolves will be without Yerson Mosquera, Enso Gonzalez, and Sasa Kalajdzic due to their long-term knee injuries. Meanwhile, Sam Johnstone is sidelined with a knock. Wolves are likely to shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Jose Sa in goal.
Matt Doherty and Nelson Semedo will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson will start at the heart of the home side’s defence.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rayan Ait-Nouri will start in the wide areas, and they will look to protect the full-backs and help out in the final third. Joao Gomes will start alongside Andre in the middle of the park, and they will look to add control and defensive cover to the side. Matheus Cunha will start as the attacking midfielder here, with Jorgen Strand Larsen leading the line for Wolves vs Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Dawson, Semedo; Bellegarde, Gomes, Andre, Ait-Nouri; Cunha; Larsen
Brighton & Hove Albion
The visitors will be without James Milner due to a thigh injury, Georginio Rutter with a knock and Ferdi Kadioglu with an ankle issue. Meanwhile, Joao Pedro is suspended.
Brighton & Hove Albion will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Wolves, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Jack Hinshelwood and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back and hit Wolves on the break. Jan Paul van Hecke will form the central defensive partnership alongside Lewis Dunk.
As for the midfield unit, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba will start in the double pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break down the opposition’s attacking moves.
Matt O’Riley will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Danny Welbeck will spearhead the Brighton attack vs Wolves on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Adingra, O’Riley, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Wolves have won five of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won just one of the last six matches in the Premier League.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between Wolves and Brighton & Hove Albion.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have conceded 14 goals in their last six matches in all competitions.
- Jorgen Strand Larsen has scored six times in his last six Premier League appearances, with four of those the winning goal.
Player to Watch
Matheus Cunha
The Brazilian international has been excellent for Wolves this season, and he will look to cause all sorts of problems for the Brighton & Hove Albion defence. The visitors have been quite vulnerable defensively, and Cunha will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well.
The 25-year-old attacker’s 15 goals and six assists is the second highest amount of goal involvements by a Wolves player in a Premier League season behind Raul Jimenez’s 23 in the 2019/20 campaign.
The home team will need him to step up and produce a strong performance here. He has been instrumental in their recent run of form. Cunha is our key player to watch out for, and he will hope to guide his side to all three points.
Prediction
Wolves 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this will be a close contest. Neither side will want to end up losing the game. Matches between Wolves and Brighton have been packed with goals in recent times, and this one is unlikely to be any different.
The last two meetings between these two teams have produced a total of nine goals. Both sides are likely to get on the score sheet here as well. It will be difficult to separate them, and they could end up cancelling each other out. Another draw seems quite likely this weekend. The Hard Tackle predicts Saturday’s match to end in a 1-1 stalemate.
