Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United will be eager to return to winning ways when they lock horns at the Molineux on Monday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 15 of the 2025/26 Premier League season on Monday with Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United at the Molineux, with both teams eager to return to winning ways.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been the worst team in the Premier League by far this season, struggling to accumulate points thus far. While the Black Country outfit’s underlying numbers are not as bad as their position suggests, they are the favourites to suffer relegation after falling 13 points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
On the other hand, Manchester United’s stop-start campaign continued earlier this week, as they squandered a slender lead to play a 1-1 draw with West Ham United. The Red Devils gave away the opportunity to rise to fifth in the Premier League standings with that result. However, with teams around them dropping points again, Ruben Amorim’s men can clinch the fifth spot again and go level on points with Chelsea.
Wolverhampton Wanderers clinched a 2-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season, with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes picking up a red card. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rob Edwards has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Wolverhampton Wanderers may be bereft of the services of over half a dozen first-team players vs Manchester United on Monday.
Joao Gomes, who has recently piqued the attention of Manchester United, will serve a one-game ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the 2025/26 season. Meanwhile, Marshall Munetsi is unavailable for the foreseeable future due to a calf injury.
The Zimbabwean midfielder has joined Dan Bentley (ankle), Rodrigo Gomes (groin), Hugo Bueno (back), Ladislav Krejci (knee), Leon Chiwome (knee), and Fer Lopez (adductor) in the treatment room.
Sam Johnstone will take his spot between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Monday. The central defensive unit will feature Yerson Mosquera, Toti Gomes, and Emmanuel Agbadou. Matt Doherto and David Moller Wolfe will be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the three centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will likely pair up with Andre Trindade in the middle of the park. Finally, Jorgen Strand Larsen will lead the line for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Manchester United, with Jhon Arias and Hwang Hee-chan supporting him in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Johnstone; Mosquera, Toti, Agbadou; Doherty, Andre, Bellegarde, Wolfe; Arias, Hwang; Larsen
Manchester United
Like his counterpart in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dugout, Ruben Amorim has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Molineux. The Manchester United manager may be without only four first-team players on Monday.
Diogo Dalot picked up a minor injury in the game against West Ham United, and Amorim has been sweating over his fitness. However, Dalot and Matthijs de Ligt (knock) should be available to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers. Meanwhile, Harry Maguire (hamstring) and Benjamin Sesko (knee) should return next week.
Senne Lammens will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. The central defensive unit will feature Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Luke Shaw. Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu will be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will protect the centre-backs and provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in the double pivot. Finally, Joshua Zirkzee will spearhead the Manchester United attack against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo playing behind him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Mazraoui, de Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Cunha; Zirkzee
Key Stats
- Wolverhampton Wanderers did the Premier League double vs Manchester United last season, clinching as many victories as they had managed in their previous 14 against the Red Devils (W2 D3 L9). The Red Devils lost the corresponding fixture 2-0 last season, but they have not faced defeat in consecutive league games against Wolves at Molineux since August 1980.
- Manchester United have only lost eight Premier League games against clubs starting the day at the bottom of the table. However, 25% of these (2/8) have come against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux (0-1 in January 2004, 1-2 in February 2011).
- Manchester United are unbeaten in four away Premier League matches (W2 D2), having gone eight without a win on the road before this run. They last had a longer unbeaten away run between November and February in the 2021/22 campaign (seven). However, the Red Devils have won only one of their last seven Premier League away games in December (D1 L5), beating Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad last year.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have only two points from their 14 Premier League games this season, the joint-fewest ever at this stage of a top-flight campaign, along with Manchester United in 1930/31 (2 pts/win) and Sheffield United in 2020/21. They have lost their last seven Premier League games, failing to score in each outing. In their league history, they have only lost eight successive games once (December 1981 to February 1982), while this is their longest run of defeats without a goal.
- Bryan Mbeumo has either scored (3) or assisted (2) a goal in five of his six Premier League appearances against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes has assisted in his last four away Premier League outings (five in total). The Manchester United captain will aim to become the fifth player to assist in five successive away matches, after Muzzy Izzet in 2003, Cesc Fabregas in 2014-2015, Gerard Deulofeu in 2015 and Mohamed Salah in 2023.
Player to Watch
Matheus Cunha
While Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, and Jorgen Strand Larsen were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Matheus Cunha as the Player to Watch for Monday’s Premier League clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at the Molineux.
The ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman has been involved in 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances at the Molineux (G6 A5), scoring and assisting a goal in this exact fixture for the Black Country outfit in the 2024/25 season. With Cunha struggling for productivity at Manchester United, he will be eager to get back to his best against his former side on Monday.
Prediction
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Manchester United
Monday’s match is the polar opposite of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to score in seven successive Premier League games, while the Red Devils have kept only one clean sheet this term.
However, the hosts have a dreadful defensive unit, and their struggles will continue on Monday, with Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes delivering the goods for the away side. Meanwhile, Rob Edwards’s men will not go down without a fight, and a narrow victory is on the cards for Manchester United. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.