Another Molineux outing awaits Wolves this weekend, with Watford visiting in the Championship, and below is all the important pre-match information.
Roll call
After Tuesday night’s draw with Portsmouth, it’s been another tight turnaround for Cesar Peixoto and his side. After making six changes ahead of last weekend’s win over Burnley and another three before Tuesday, Peixoto might be tempted to ring the changes once again for the visit of Watford. In his pre-match press conference, the head coach confirmed Kieran Trippier and Adam Armstrong – who were absent in midweek – have both trained with the team ahead of the weekend, but will make a late decision on them. Rodrigo Gomes, Boubacar Traore and Bertrand Traore remain on the sidelines.
Alessio Dionisi issued a positive fitness update ahead of Saturday’s fixture after numerous players who had been injured were able to return unscathed from their win over Charlton Athletic last weekend. The likes of Krepin Diatta and Marc Bola have provided the Italian with further options to his squad, however, Edoardo Bove, Jeremy Ngakia and Kwadwo Baah are unavailable for the visit to Molineux tomorrow.
The form guide
Wolves were left frustrated on Tuesday evening having dropped two points to Portsmouth late on, after Jordan James had scored his second goal for the club. That draw came after a battling 2-1 win at Burnley last Friday. Wolves have now played five times at Molineux this term, winning two, drawing two and losing to only Bolton Wanderers on home soil.
Last Saturday the Hornets beat Charlton Athletic 2-0 to end a run of four straight defeats and lift the gloom around Vicarage Road. Previously, Watford were heavily beaten by both Cardiff City and Burnley in their last two fixtures, with the 5-1 loss in Wales their last trip away from home. Four of Watford’s five away games have ended in defeat, with the point at Wrexham in August their only on the road.
Bruno ball against the Hornets
Wolves blew Watford away the last time the two sides met in March 2022. Bruno Lage’s side scored three times in the opening 21 minutes to leave Roy Hodgson’s side deep in relegation trouble. Raul Jimenez tucked home the opener and a Chucho Hernandez own goal made it two. Daniel Podence scored from distance to all but wrap up the win. But with five minutes remaining a sumptuous chip from Ruben Neves over Ben Foster sealed a healthy win at Molineux.
Head coach Lage said: “It was good, first 20 minutes, very good. It is so important, the performance. The performance gives us the goals, the points. It was the way we played together as a team, the way we pressed, the way we played. When we needed to play from the back, we played with no fear.”
Wolves | Sa, Jonny (Chiquinho 82), Boly, Coady, Saiss, Ait-Nouri, Neves, Moutinho, Podence, Hwang (Neto 61), Jimenez (Silva 71).
