Wolves will host an out-of-sorts Manchester United at Molineux on Thursday night, and will hope to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight games. They will know that three points could see them rise as high as ninth, leapfrogging Chelsea, and will be full of confidence after seeing off West Brom in a fierce Black County derby, marred by fan trouble.
Wolves Predicted Lineup vs Manchester United at Molineux
Neto sparking scenes in the away end 💥 pic.twitter.com/AVXAu1PIkf
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 29, 2024
How Wolves Have Lined-up Recently
Pedro Neto has firmly re-established himself as a starter after returning from injury. He was substituted off in the midst of the chaos at The Hawthorns, doubtless to protect him for the game, and will be raring to go.
Craig Dawson has also returned from injury, and although his temporary replacement, Santiago Bueno, might feel hard done by losing his spot, there can be no doubt that The Wanderers’ defensive three looks more robust with the veteran Englishman at its heart.
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Tommy Doyle continues to impress the Molineux faithful with his pinpoint passing and audacious delivery. However, Joao Gomes returns from his three-game suspension and will be available, and his disruptive abilities in the middle of the park might be an asset against a technically superior Red Devils side.
The derby match against the Baggies also provided an opportunity off the bench for youngster Tawanda Chirewa. The academy prospect did well in his ten-minute cameo and set up Matheus Cunha for a gilt-edged chance which was well saved by the Albion keeper. He has more to do to warrant a start, but could feature later in the game.
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Wolves Recent Form and Tactics
Gary O’Neil has a penchant for setting up his side to match his opponents, and whilst there is some structural continuity in the spine of the team, the tactics vary significantly between matches, particularly in terms of the pace of transitions, the height of the block and the intensity of the press.
Against Albion, the old gold side played deliberately, sometimes excruciatingly slow football, but were lethal in the box. This looked like an intelligent way to take the sting out of a fierce derby match; the kind that could lead to an upset if the home side were allowed to get their fans behind them.
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By contrast, in a recent home contest against Everton, the West Midlands team played exciting, attacking football with fluid passing and aggressive transitions.
Wolves have not lost at home since September, making them unbeaten in eight at Molineux: five wins and three draws. This has included the scalps of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
Notable Absentees
Pablo Sarabia suffered a knock prior to the West Brom match and was omitted from the squad, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde starting in his place. It is thought that this is a minor injury, and he could well return, but that is yet to be confirmed.
Hee-Chan Hwang remains with South Korea competing in the Asian Cup, but has struggled for minutes due to an injury.
Rayan Ait-Nouri has returned from the African Cup of Nations after Algeria’s group-stage departure, but Boubacar Traore remains at the competition representing Mali.
Predicted Lineup
Jose Sa – GK
Matt Doherty – LB
Toti Gomes – CB
Max Kilman – CB
Craig Dawson – CB
Nelson Semedo – RB
Mario Lemina – CM
Joao Gomes – CM
Pablo Sarabia – CAM
Matheus Cunha – FW
Pedro Neto – FW
