Wolves will be aiming to bounce back from their first defeat of 2026 when AFC Bournemouth arrive at Molineux on Saturday afternoon, and wolves.co.uk is here to preview the Premier League clash.
1 | Roll Call
Rob Edwards’ squad was handed a boost this week after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde enjoyed a full week of first-team training after getting back on the grass last week. The Haiti international has been out of action with a hamstring injury since early December and is expected to go straight into the squad for Saturday’s visit of Bournemouth. The only other injury worry for Edwards is Toti, with the captain still working his way back to fitness from a hamstring issue, having returned to light individual training last week, however, Ladislav Krejci is a doubt for the weekend after missing training this week with the flu, and the Czech defender will face a late fitness test.
Bournemouth have a few long-term injuries who won’t be available for Saturday’s trip to Molineux. Andoni Iraola will definitely be without Justin Kluivert after the forward suffered a knee injury which is likely to put him out for the bulk of the season, while Tyler Adams’ knee injury will not see him return until next month. Marcus Tavernier and Ben Gannon-Doak are both out of action with thigh issues, while William Dennis and Julio Soler are also absent. David Brooks races a late fitness test. However, Iraola has been able to add to his squad this January, with 19-year-old Brazilian forward Rayan signing from Vasco da Gama, Ade Solanke arrived from Lorient, Alex Toth moved to the Cherries from Ferencvaros and Fraser Forster moved from Tottenham Hotspur, while fellow keeper Christos Mandas has been brought in on loan from Lazio.
2 | The Stat Pack
Goals
- Jorgen Strand Larsen | 6
- Eli Kroupi | 7
Assists
- Hee Chan Hwang | 3
- Marcos Senesi | 4
Biggest win
- Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury | January 2026
- Bournemouth 3-1 Fulham | October 2025
Yellow cards
- Andre | 9
- Marcos Senesi | 7
Clean sheets
- Jose Sa | 2
- Djordje Petrovic | 5
3 | Journey to Saturday
Wolves’ positive start to 2026 took a minor bump last weekend, as Premier League title chasers Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory over Edwards’ side at the Etihad. Wolves went into last Saturday’s match unbeaten in five, with victories over West Ham United in the league and Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup, as well as securing points against Manchester United, Everton and Newcastle United. When the two sides faced earlier in the season, it was the Cherries who came out on top at the Vitality Stadium with a narrow 1-0 victory, in a game which also saw Wolves play 40 minutes with 10 men after Toti’s sending off.
Bournemouth arrive at Molineux off the back of two wins and draw in their last three Premier League outings which sees them 13th in the standings. Despite starting 2026 with a 3-2 defeat at home to Arsenal, the Cherries reversed the scoreline the following week at the Vitality Stadium against the Gunners’ north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur before picking up a point on the road to Brighton & Hove Albion and then claiming all three points with another 3-2 home win against Liverpool. However, those games came either side of a FA Cup penalty shootout defeat to Newcastle United after the third round tie ended 3-3.
Some lovely words from @GomesOficial08 after he supported @wwfcfoundation's Wolf Words project, which helps children with speech and language differences 💛
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 29, 2026
4 | First Molineux match following Covid
When Wolves and Bournemouth met back in 2020, it was the first time in three months that football had been played at Molineux following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Despite the match being played behind closed doors, Wolves claimed all three points thanks to Raul Jimenez’s header. Adama Traore was the provider as he used his pace down the right to float a cross onto the head of Jimenez who tied up the victory for the hosts.
The win extended the Old Gold’s unbeaten Premier League run to seven games, while lifting Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to sixth in the Premier League standings.
Wolves | Patricio, Doherty, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Jonny, Neves, Moutinho (Gibbs-White 90), Traore (Dendoncker 69), Jota (Neto 62), Jimenez (Podence 90).
Bournemouth | Ramsdale, Stacey (Kelly 82), S Cook, Ake, Smith, Billing (Gosling 50), L Cook, Lerma (Solanke 66), Brooks (H Wilson 66), Stanislas (Danjuma 66), C Wilson.
