Wolverhampton Wanderers will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League when they entertain Brighton & Hove Albion at Molineux on Saturday.
The Wanderers shared the spoils with Brentford in a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Stadium last time out, stretching their winless run in the league to three games. Poor form of key players, injuries and the sacking of Bruno Lage last month has compounded in a miserable season so far, as the Black Country outfit lie 19th in the table.
Interim boss Steve Davis must be expecting his boys to put up a strong show at home against Brighton, who head to the Midlands off the back of a stunning 4-1 win over Chelsea.
Wolves Team News
Diego Costa will miss the next three games for Wolves after being shown a late red card against Brentford for head-butting Ben Mee in the opposition’s edge of the area.
Pedro Neto, Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho currently have long-term injuries, while Raul Jimenez is due to fly back to England soon after recuperating from his groin problem recently. However, Jimenez’s situation still remains unclear as to when he will attain full fitness.
Matheus Nunes was forced off with a knock in the first half against Brentford and remains doubtful for the upcoming Premier League clash.
Predicted Wolves Lineup vs Brighton (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Jose Sa is expected to start in between the sticks against Brighton. The Portuguese shot-stopper would look to put up a strong performance and secure a clean sheet at the weekend.
Defence
Max Kilman will lead the backline, hoping to keep things tight throughout the 90 minutes alongside Nathan Collins in central defence in the Wolves lineup.
Nelson Semedo should retain his place at right-back, whereas young Hugo Bueno is likely to get the nod over Rayan Ait-Nouri again in the left-back position in the Wolves lineup.
Midfield
Up ahead in midfield, Steve Davis may stick with the double pivot of Ruben Neves and Boubacar Traore in the Wolves lineup.
Neves and Traore will be tasked with protecting the defence whilst dictating the tempo of the game against Brighton.
As Matheus Nunes is doubtful, Joao Moutinho is likely to be handed a start. In an advanced midfield role, Moutinho’s incisive passing and vision might be crucial in breaching the Brighton defence.
Attack
Diego Costa’s suspension should open the door for Hwang Hee-chan to start and lead the Wolves attack. With Hwang operating through the middle, Daniel Podence and Adama Traore will take up the wide positions in the Wolves lineup, looking to cause problems for Roberto de Zerbi’s side down the left and right flank, respectively.
Goncalo Guedes will have to be content for a place on the bench again, but the Portuguese forward could be brought on in the second half of the encounter if required.
