Wolves vs Man United: Jota vs Lindelof and other key battles to watch out for

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Manchester United on Monday night in the second round of fixtures of the 2019-20 Premier League season. Manchester United began their campaign with a 4-0 win, although the scoreline didn’t tell the entire story of the game as Chelsea created several chances but could not convert those into goals. Wolves, on the other hand, played out a goalless draw against Leicester City away from home, just three days after a Europa League qualifying game.

Wolves will go into the game against Manchester United quietly confident, having defeated the Red Devils twice last season – once in the league and the other in the FA Cup, while also grabbing a point against them at Old Trafford.

Let’s take a look at 3 key battles from the game against Wolves and Manchester United.

Diogo Jota vs Victor Lindelof

22-year-old Diogo Jota has been a revelation for Wolves since signing for them from Atletico Madrid and was one of the key players for Nuno Espírito Santo last season. Jota’s trickery, pace, and great technical ability caused trouble to several defences last season – including Manchester United.

Jota will probably line up against United defender Victor Lindelof on Monday which will be an important battle in the game. United’s defence has strengthened significantly since the signing of Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but the likes of Jota and striker partner Raul Jiminez – who has already scored four times in the Europa League qualifiers – can be a handful.

Joao Moutinho vs Scott McTominay

Scott McTominay has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year or so, and seems to be a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United team. Against Chelsea, he did the dirty work – tackling, clearing, and moving the ball quickly to the likes of Paul Pogba and Andreas Pereira in midfield.

McTominay will be up against experienced midfielder Joao Moutinho, who has the ability to control games with his wide range of passing. The young United player will be tasked to shut down Moutinho’s passing and try to win back possession whenever United lose it. This battle in midfield could very well decide the outcome of the game.

Matt Doherty vs Anthony Martial/Marcus Rashford

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford troubled the Chelsea defence last weekend with their direct running and pace. The two young forwards pounced at every opportunity to counter-attack and target Chelsea’s right, which was a weak point of the Blues’ team. Solskjaer could do the same against Wolves, allowing Martial and Rashford to bomb down the Wolves’ right and target wing-back Matt Doherty.

Martial and Rashford often switched positions between the left side and central striker role, which could be tricky for the Wolves defence to tackle.