Wolverhampton Wanderers have stuttered recently after a dream start to the season. The newly-promoted side had won 18 points out of a possible 24 despite facing the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton in their first 8 fixtures.
But back to back defeats in the last two games against Watford and Brighton & Hove Albion will make sure that they don’t start taking things lightly. Both the matches were winnable on paper and Nuno Espirito Santo will know that each point will be crucial if they want to make a statement in their comeback season.
Next up is a difficult home fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites have had their fair share of problems but they have been consistent in the League with much of the noise coming from outside the field and at times in the Champions League.
Spurs have received a massive injury boost with key playmakers Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen returning to action this week. They will also be coming on the back of a defeat to league leaders Manchester City and will not afford Wolves too much room for error.
As of now, Wolves don’t have much to worry about on the injury front and Nuno will have the option to choose his best XI.
PREDICTED WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS XI VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (3-4-2-1)
DEFENCE
Rui Patricio will start in goal. The Portuguese international has been excellent at times and will be expecting a busy 90 minutes.
The 3-man defensive wall will have Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady and Willy Boly facing up to the likes of Harry Kane and Lucas Moura. Boly has been their best defender till now and will have to step up having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 2 games.
MIDFIELD
Midfield is one of the strongest areas of their team and the battle between the two sides in the middle of the pitch will go a long way in deciding the outcome. Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves will occupy the central area. Neves was proficient in the final third against Brighton attempting 6 shots on goal while Moutinho was the more creative of the two taking 1 shot and providing 5 key passes.
Wolves’ best player in the last month or so, Matt Doherty, will take up the slot on the right flank while Jonny is expected to be stationed on the left.
ATTACK
While Nuno’s boys have looked threatening and haven’t failed to create chances, their finishing has let the team down and we expect to see a key change in personnel in this aspect.
Adama Traore is likely to give way to Diogo Jota while the other two slots will be taken up by Helder Costa and Raul Jimenez.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
