Wolves will host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Molineux on Sunday, desperate to get their season back on track with their first win of the Premier League campaign.
Wolves have lost five of their six Premier League matches this season, and they are yet to pick up a win ahead of the game vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. The Black Country outfit will be desperate to bounce back strongly this weekend.
The home fans will expect a strong reaction from the players, and it will be interesting to see if they can step up and deliver. On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion are coming into this game on the back of a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Chelsea away from home last weekend.
The Seagulls will be full of confidence. They will look to make the most of the poor form of the home team and pile further misery on them. Brighton have picked up four wins from their last six matches in all competitions.
The visitors have produced impressive performances against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea in their last five outings. They will be the favourites to get the job done. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Wolves
Vitor Pereira will be without Leon Chiwome this weekend, with the English striker recovering from a knee injury. Meanwhile, Toti Gomes faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. Wolves are likely to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Jose Sa in goal.
In the back three, Toti Gomes will start alongside Emmanuel Agbadou and Santiago Bueno if he is fit and available. Matt Doherty will start as the wing-back alongside David Wolfe. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Brighton on the break.
Joao Gomes and Andre Trindade will add defensive cover and control to the side from the middle of the park. Fer Lopez and Marshall Munetsi will start as the attacking midfielders here. They will look to link the midfield with the attack and help create opportunities for striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, who will lead the line for Wolves vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sa; Gomes, Agbadou, Bueno; Doherty, André, João Gomes, Wolfe; Lopez, Munetsi; Larsen
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fabian Hurzeler will be without Adam Webster and Solly March due to their long-term knee issues. Jack Hinshelwood and Joel Veltman are also unavailable this weekend. Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs with Bart Verbruggen in goal.
Mats Wieffer and Ferdi Kadioglu will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Wolves on the break. Jan Paul van Hecke and Lewis Dunk will pair up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba will pair up in the double pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Georginio Rutter will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to help create opportunities in the final third.
He will link up with Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh on the flanks. The two wide attackers will look to add pace and unpredictability to the Brighton attack. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton & Hove Albion vs Wolves on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Wieffer, Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Ayari, Baleba; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Wolves have failed to win their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have scored at least two goals in their last three matches vs Wolves in all competitions.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in five of the last six matches in all competitions.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between the two teams.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won more points from losing positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (6), coming from behind to beat Manchester City and Chelsea. Meanwhile, only Brentford (8) have dropped more points from winning positions than Wolves (5).
Player to Watch
Yankuba Minteh
The Brighton & Hove Albion attacker is our key player to watch out for. Minteh has done quite well this season, and he is in impressive form. He could cause all sorts of problems for the Wolves defence.
The home team have struggled at the back, and they will find it difficult to contain the Brighton & Hove Albion star. The Gambian winger will look to create opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet as well.
Prediction
Wolves 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Both teams will be looking to pick up a win for very different reasons, but the gulf in class between the two sides should see Brighton come out on top. The away side are in impressive form, and they are full of confidence.
Brighton & Hove Albion have shown their quality against the top teams of the country in recent outings, and they should be able to grind out an easy win on Sunday. Wolves are struggling defensively, and their poor performance at the back will let them down once again. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his charges.