Newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers are getting somewhat of a giant-killer tag after taking points of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton this season. Nuno Espirito Santo is doing a great job at Molineux and the fans are delighted that their club is punching above its weight. This weekend though, Wolves hosts 19th place Huddersfield and a win could see them rise up 2 places to finish the week in 9th place if results elsewhere go in their favour.
Wolves are coming into this fixture in 11th place and while fans are giddy about the performances and results right now, Premiership survival remains the priority. With 16 points from 12 games played, Wolves attacking style means they will score a lot of goals and also get punished sometimes for being a bit open at the back. At Molineux, they have won 2, drawn 2 and lost 2 while scoring and conceding 8 goals in the process. Week 12’s 1-1 draw at the Emirates meant that Wolves broke the chain of 3 consecutive losses in the league, which means they are yet to take maximum points in any of the past 4 Premier League games. Their recent home form is also poor having taken only 1 win from the previous 4.
The Terriers are a team in dire straits. Sitting in 19th place on 7 points, David Wagner’s men finally took their first 3 points of the season on Bonfire night defeating Fulham 1-0 via a Timothy Fosu-Mensah own goal in the 29th minute. The other 11 games have brought 4 draws and 7 defeats. David Wagner retains hope that his team are not relegation fodder and 4 points taken from the last 2 games has propelled the team forward to within 1 point of the next two clubs above them and within 2 of Newcastle in 14th place. After their unlucky draw with the Hammers before the international break, Wagner said: “The good thing is four points in a week. I really can see the positives. We’ll take this result, even if I think we deserved more.” Huddersfield are yet to win away in the league this season. They have lost thrice and drawn twice in 6 games on the road while scoring 4 and conceding 14 in the process.
Huddersfield have won in 10 of the 12 league meetings between the two and recorded 1-0 wins in each of the last three. The Terriers have also not scored more than a goal in any of their previous 22 Premier League games. Only Sunderland have ever gone on a longer such run in the league.
Team News
Wolves defender Jonny Castro is out for 6 weeks due to a knee injury while Matt Doherty will be assessed ahead of this game.
Mathias Jorgensen is suspended for Huddersfield having accumulated 5 yellow cards. Jonas Lossl and Danny Williams will be accessed while Chris Lowe no longer needs an operation on a shoulder injury. It is unlikely he will be fit for this game.
Verdict
Wolves fetched 15 points from their first 8 games meaning they have taken only 1 point from their last 4 games. Nuno Espirito Santo will realise that despite noise from both fans and neutrals, securing the dreaded “40 points” is more important for survival. They look like team with the quality to take full points on Sunday.
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