Wolverhampton Wanderers will be seeking to start February on a high note when they welcome Manchester United at Molineux on Thursday evening in the Premier League.
The Wanderers have found some momentum of late and are on a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions. In the Premier League, they have won three and drawn one in their last four games, with their last league fixture ending in a goalless stalemate with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium last week.
Gary O’Neil’s side advanced to the FA Cup round of 16 on Sunday with a 2-0 away win over Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion, so they will be high in confidence heading into the game against Manchester United.
Wolves Team News
Joao Gomes is free of suspension, following his red card in the FA Cup tie with Brentford. Pablo Sarabia is getting close to a return, but Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea) and Boubacar Traore (Mali) are away on international duty.
Rayan Ait-Nouri came off the bench in Wolves’ 2-0 win over West Brom in the FA Cup fourth round but could start here.
Predicted Wolves lineup vs Manchester United (3-4-3)
Goalkeeper
Wolves could line up in a 3-4-3 formation again, with Jose Sa starting in goal. A clean sheet against West Brom in the local derby should have given the Portuguese shot-stopper a lot of confidence heading into this league fixture.
Defence
The back three will consist of Craig Dawson, Max Kilman and Toti Gomes. Wary of Man United’s quality attackers, the Wolves defenders must stay compact and disciplined throughout the game to help Sa keep a clean sheet.
Midfield
Despite Joao Gomes being available for selection once again, on-loan Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle will obviously hope to retain his spot, though, for this contest against Ten Hag’s side. Doyle may once again be partnered by Tommy Doyle in the middle of the park.
Rayan Ait-Nouri should come back into the starting XI, replacing Matt Doherty at left wing-back from the West Brom game. Nelson Semedo is certain to retain his spot at right wing-back. The duo will look to provide width and energy whilst staying defensively resilient against Man United wingers.
Attack
Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha were both impressive in the 2-0 cup win over West Brom last time out, and the pair are set to continue in the final third of the field against Ten Hag’s side.
In top scorer Hwang Hee-chan’s absence, Gary O’Neil could stick with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde up top. The 25-year-old did well while leading the attack against West Brom last weekend, and O’Neil will want to see more of the same from the versatile Frenchman on Thursday.
