Wolverhampton Wanderers will host Manchester United at the Molineux Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Wolves have made a poor start to the 2021-22 Premier League season under new manager Bruno Lage, suffering successive 1-0 defeats to Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
They returned to winning ways, however, in the EFL Cup as they beat Nottingham Forest 4-0, and will be hoping to carry the momentum into Sunday’s league game.
Manchester United kicked off their season at home with a superb 5-1 rout of Leeds United but were disappointing in the 1-1 draw with Southampton at St Mary’s last weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will expect a better performance against Wolves after the Red Devils looked disjointed and devoid of energy against the Saints.
Wolves vs Manchester United—Team News
Wolves
Centre-backs Yerson Mosquera and Willy Boly have started training with the first-team and could be part of Bruno Lage’s squad on Sunday.
Wolves were handed a big boost as Daniel Podence played an hour in their 4-0 EFL Cup victory over Nottingham Forest, scoring a goal. That means Pedro Neto and Jonny are the only players on the treatment table.
Jose Sa is Wolves’ current no.1 having replaced Rui Patricio, who signed for AS Roma earlier in the transfer window. He’ll be desperate to keep his first clean sheet of the season on Sunday. Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss will form the three-man backline for Bruno Lage’s side, with Nelson Semedo and Marcal operating as wing-backs.
Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have been one of the most reliable midfield pairings in the division over the last couple of seasons. The Portuguese duo will aim to get control of the game quickly against Solskjaer’s side.
Daniel Podence’s impressive showing in the mid-week EFL Cup game against Nottingham Forest could tempt Lage to hand him a straight start in the Premier League. The diminutive winger could start on the left flank that’ll see Adama Traore back into his natural position down the right.
Leading the Wolves attack will be Raul Jimenez, who has shown signs of promise in the first two games after returning from a long injury layoff.
Manchester United
Manchester United fans are thrilled and euphoric following the news that Cristiano Ronaldo is returning to Old Trafford after 11 years. On Friday, the Reds announced they had agreed a deal with Juventus for Ronaldo in another blockbuster summer transfer coup.
On their injury front, Scott McTominay underwent groin surgery earlier this week that’ll keep him out for some time. The Scotsman joins Alex Telles (ankle), forward Marcus Rashford (shoulder) and Dean Henderson (recovering from Covid-19), as well as long-term absentee Phil Jones (knee), on the sidelines.
New signings Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane are yet to start a game for the Reds, although the former has made two substitute appearances to date.
David de Gea is Solskjaer’s first-choice in goal and should keep his place against Wolves. Raphael Varane could make his debut for Manchester United, replacing Victor Lindelof in the back four that’ll comprise Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, barring any last moment injury.
Fred and Nemanja Matic weren’t at their best in the last game against Southampton but Solskjaer is likely to persist with them in the double-pivot. Bruno Fernandes is a certain starter and he’ll look to combine better with Paul Pogba in the final third than he did last weekend.
Jadon Sancho showed flashes of his quality when he came on as a substitute against Southampton and could be handed his first United start on Sunday. Mason Greenwood is in good scoring nick with two goals in two games and is likely to get the nod ahead of Anthony Martial to lead the Reds’ attack at Molineux.
Wolves vs Manchester United— Predicted Lineups
Wolves Predicted Lineup (3-4-3): Jose Sa; Max Kilman, Conor Coady, Romain Saiss; Nelson Semedo, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Fernando Marcal; Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence
Manchester United Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Nemanja Matic, Fred; Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho; Mason Greenwood
Wolves vs Manchester United— Key Players
Wolves—Ruben Neves
A top distributor of the ball, Ruben Neves will look to dictate the tempo of the game alongside his compatriot Joao Moutinho in the Wolves midfield. In what is likely to be Podence and Adama down the wide areas, he could be key in finding them in the final third with his ambitious diagonals and through balls and hurting Manchester United.
Manchester United—Paul Pogba
With five assists in two games, Paul Pogba is a man in form for Manchester United. One of the best midfielders on his day, the Frenchman’s link up with Bruno Fernandes in and around the box could potentially cause problems to Wolves defence. He could have a big say for Solskjaer’s side against Wolves.
Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Manchester United
