Wolves are set for their final outing at Molineux this season as Gary O’Neil’s side take on Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, with plenty still to play for.
#1 Inside both camps
Wolves’ injury issues are looking a lot brighter heading into the final two matches of the season, with Craig Dawson the only senior player unavailable for selection after the defender’s problems with his groin keeping him away from the squad for the remainder of the campaign. Despite returning to full training, Pedro Neto didn’t travel to Manchester last weekend, but O'Neil revealed the winger is still not fit enough to make his first start since going off at half-time of the 2-1 win over Fulham in early March. Mario Lemina is expected to be fit after missing the second half at the Etihad due to a tight hamstring.
Oliver Glasner has got plenty of options to choose from for the visit to Molineux, especially in the attacking areas, although the German is missing a few of his players through injury. Will Hughes is doubtful after going off on 68 minutes of the 4-0 win over Manchester United on Monday, whole goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is out after having elbow surgery, meaning Dean Henderson will maintain his place between the sticks. Neither Jefferson Lerma (thigh) or Cheick Doucoure (calf) are expected to be available before Saturday, and Rob Holding and Matheus Franca are but ruled out for the rest of the season.
#2 Coming into it
Before they suffered heavily at the Etihad last weekend as Erling Haaland netted four in a Manchester City rout, Wolves picked up all three points in their last game at Molineux a fortnight ago when goals from Hee Chan Hwang and Toti secured a 2-1 victory against Luton Town. That was the Old Gold’s eighth home win of the season and ended a run of three Molineux defeats in a row.
Wolves’ last three | L 1-5 Manchester City (A) – W 2-1 Luton Town (H) – L 0-1 Bournemouth (H)
One of the form teams in the Premier League, Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last five top flight outings. After picking up 12 points from their opening eight matches, Palace have lost just three times in the league since Glasner came into his role in February, and have won four of their last five matches, which have seen the side take down Liverpool West Ham United, Newcastle United and Manchester United.
Palace’s last three | W 4-0 Manchester United (H) – D 1-1 Fulham (A) – W 2-0 Newcastle United (H)
For one last time this season at Molineux. COYW 💛 pic.twitter.com/T6d7w1tyI8
— Wolves (@Wolves) May 8, 2024
#3 Since last time
Crystal Palace 3 Wolves 2 | 3rd September 2023
A spirited Wolves side left it too late to fight back against Crystal Palace when the sides met each other earlier in the season at Selhurst Park as the Eagles took all three points during a second-half which was full of goals and action. Hee Chan Hwang came off the bench to get Wolves level after Odsonne Edouard had put the hosts ahead with their first attack after the break. Eberechi Eze and Edouard’s second appeared to give Palace an unassailable lead late on, but the visitors halved the deficit through Matheus Cunha in the closing moments of the contest, but it was too little too late for the Old Gold.
Wolves’ XI | Sa, Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait-Nouri, Lemina, Gomes, Neto, Hwang, Cunha, Silva.
From the Wolves team which started back in September, Fabio Silva is currently out on loan at Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, while Dawson will miss Saturday’s game through injury. All of the Palace 11 remain part of the Eagles’ squad, although injury means Johnstone, Lerma and Doucoure will not be part of the team at Molineux, while neither Ward, Guehi, Ayew, Schlupp nor Edouard started at Old Trafford on Monday evening.
Palace’s XI | Johnstone, Ward, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell, Lerma, Doucoure, Ayew, Eze, Schlupp, Edouard.
#4 In the media
Radio WM commentator Mike Taylor feels that although the players and Gary O’Neil can enjoy a stress-free final two games of the season, he believes the pressure inside Molineux may start to increase ahead of the next campaign.
“Wolves will meet their home supporters for the final time this season on Saturday, and they can be pretty confident of the reception their fans will give them. After a season where they have not merely avoided 'disaster' - but proved capable of challenging even the most fancied sides in the Premier League - fans who feared the worst in August were soon reassured. However, he [O’Neil] won't be allowing the players to treat it as a lap of honour. The run of results throughout March and April that saw Wolves drift away from the European places, which briefly seemed within reach, wounded O'Neil and his players - unkindly, given the pre-season expectations. But, as O'Neil noted, Wolves' final home game will be free of the stresses faced by other teams below them in the Premier League. The real pressure inside Molineux might start to build after the final games, when we see how Wolves respond to O'Neil's wish for them to be better-equipped to cope with the rigours of the league next season.”
Ed Aarons of the Guardian believes Oliver Glasner faces a battle to keep two of his Crystal Palace stars with suitors eyeing both Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise this summer.
“Glasner appears to have the right formula for success with an innovative 3-4-2-1 formation that has allowed Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise to flourish in attack after they missed large chunks of the season through injury. But questions remain about whether Palace can retain what the manager who guided Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2021 has described as “an amazing group”. Subject of interest from Manchester City last season, Eze and Olise have signed new contracts in the past 12 months but are believed to have release clauses – albeit of more than £60m. Work is expected to begin on the new main stand in the summer – more than six years after Palace were granted planning permission. Funding a project that could cost more than £150m to increase the capacity to 34,000 may force at least one star to be sold.”
