Having gone unbeaten in their last three, Wolves will be looking to continue their streak as they step out for a third outing at Molineux on the bounce when Cardiff City pay a visit on Saturday.
Roll call
Cesar Peixoto is ready to welcome Rodrigo Gomes back into his squad, after the winger missed the last four games through injury. Top scorer Fer Lopez was fit enough only for the bench but has trained this week and is also available for selection. Nasser Djiga looks set to miss out however, with the defender expected to return to training next week. Boubacar Traore and Bertrand Traore are both back training, but not 100 per cent, so will be given more time to get fit. Unfortunately, Ghislain Konan is set for a spell on the sidelines after injuring his knee in training, meaning he joins Raul Jimenez in the treatment room.
Cardiff have a number of selection issues when heading to the West Midlands. Defender Gabriel Osho is suspended having been sent off against Middlesbrough recently, while fellow centre half Dylan Lawlor’s hamstring injury will keep him out until after the international break. Captain Calum Chambers is yet to feature this season due to a knee issue, while Krystian Bielik was injured in the warm-up last weekend, and, although the problem is minor, he needs to be assessed. In better news for the Bluebirds, Rubin Colwill has returned to full training, following a long-term injury lay off.
The form guide
Following a difficult return from the international break which saw Wolves fall to defeats against Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, Wolves have picked up seven points from a possible nine during the last two weeks, following up a 2-1 away win at Burnley with a draw against Portsmouth and a win over Watford – with both those games coming at Molineux. Despite dominating much of the game last weekend, but especially the first half, the question for Peixoto’s players now is can they capitalise on their supremacy by scoring more goal when on top?
Cardiff arrive at Molineux this weekend in good form having bounced back from a difficult start to the campaign. Following their promotion from League One, the Bluebirds opened the season without a win in their first seven Championship fixtures, but thanks to 10 points from their last five outings, including wins over Charlton Athletic, Watford and Birmingham City, together with a draw away at league leaders Middlesbrough, they’re beginning to creep up the standings.
The past with Cardiff
Wolves and Cardiff have gone hammer and tongs at each other for more than 100 years, following their first meeting in the 1919/20 FA Cup, with Wolves coming out on top of 28 of their previous meetings, with one of those coming during the 2016/17 Championship season. Thanks to two goals from Danny Batth – both obviously coming from his head – and a Helder Costa strike, Wolves were able to make it four wins on the trot under Paul Lambert, as his side produced workmanlike performance to claim a 3-1 victory over Neil Warnock’s Cardiff in April 2017. That result moved the Old Gold eight points away from the relegation zone, with the team already beginning to show some of the qualities which would see them promoted as league champions 12 months later.
After the game, Lambert told BBC WM: "I thought it was well deserved. We were excellent right from the off - some of the football we played was fantastic. There’s a lot of work still to be done but we’re on the right road of trying to create something really good here. In comparison to some other clubs we’re nowhere near where we want to be in the division, but we’re exciting to watch.”
Wolves | Lonergan, Doherty, Coady, Edwards, Batth, Hause, Costa, Evans, Weimann (Saville 87), Marshall (Saiss 73), Cavaleiro (Bodvarsson 73).
