#1 Turning the Palace tide
Patrick Vieira’s Palace had Wolves’ number last season. The Eagles beat the old gold 2-0 both home and away and were thoroughly impressive. At Selhurst Park last November, Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher were on target and Steve Davis in his pre-match press conference confirmed he’s aware of the club’s difficult run against the Eagles in recent times. Wolves’ last victory against Palace came in January 2021, as Adama Traore inspired an FA Cup success, while you have to go back four years for Wolves’ last win at Selhurst Park, when Matt Doherty struck the winner.
Now, Davis will want those runs to end, and will have reason to be optimistic. The Eagles relied on goalkeeper Vicente Guaita to claim a point at Leicester City on Saturday and sit just one point ahead of Wolves in the Premier League table. Vieira’s side have won one in six games and scored just three goals in their last four outings, during which time Wolves have been far from prolific, so a low scoring affair may be on the cards. On home soil, Palace are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, but have also netted in each of those outings since defeat to Arsenal on the opening day.
#2 A welcome boost for Davis
It seems a long time ago since Nathan Collins saw red for clashing with Jack Grealish against Manchester City. By the time kick-off arrives on Tuesday evening, it will have been 32 days the Irishman will have been suspended for. However, that is now over and the defender returns to the matchday squad. Whether he’ll slot straight back in next to Maximilian Kilman, at the expense of Toti, remains to be seen. Should he return, it’ll provide a boost to Davis and James Collins, having impressed in old gold following his move from Burnley, proving reliable at the back and contributing to attacks moving forward.
In defence, Wolves have options to freshen things up, which Davis has done in his opening two games. Nelson Semedo and Jonny featured at Chelsea from the start, while Rayan Ait-Nouri got a start against Forest. Following that trend, Jonny may be the next to make way, however his versatility, being able to play on either side, ensures he’s often the most likely to start out of the trio. Ait-Nouri twice came close to opening the scoring during a lively first-half on the weekend, while Jonny was solid to keep former Wolves man Morgan Gibbs-White quiet.
#3 The kids are alright
A theme of Davis and Collins’ short time in charge of Wolves has, unsurprisingly considering their usual roles, been about giving youth a chance. At Chelsea, midfielder Joe Hodge was handed his senior debut off the bench at half-time – a big show of trust from Davis and Collins who’ve seen him impress for the under-21s – and he let nobody down at Stamford Bridge. He enjoyed a 78 per cent pass success rate from his 23 passes, while only Jonny completed more than his two blocks in old gold on the day, despite playing for just 45 minutes. That impressive showing earned him a second opportunity in the closing stages of the victory over Forest, and while it wasn’t pretty, his calculated challenge on Neco Williams, which earned him a yellow card, did its job of halting a late attack and getting Wolves back into position.
In that success over Forest, left-back Hugo Bueno made his senior debut in the closing stages, replacing Ait-Nouri, following on from Chem Campbell’s recent success. Having impressed off the bench against West Ham United, the wide man played the final 18 minutes at Chelsea. The trio are the latest success story from the club’s academy, which now has defender Kilman turning out every week in defence. Having all impressed for the under-21s, Bueno, Hodge and Campbell have show they can hold their own in the first-team environment and will hope the quick turnaround from Saturday could open the door to more minutes against the Eagles.
First Molineux minutes in the first team 🤩 pic.twitter.com/PivQ6vt6JF
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 16, 2022
#4 Can Costa hunt down the Eagles?
The fixture machine has handed Wolves four trips to the capital this month, and the previous two failed to produce any points, so the hunt for a first away win of the season continues. That hunt for a victory isn’t for the want of trying, however. Only Manchester City have registered more shots away from home than Wolves, with 15, however only one has resulted in a goal. That was on the opening day at Elland Road, when Podence struck, but since then, Wolves have been left frustrated. On home soil on Saturday, chances were aplenty, but not to the most likely source of a goal in Diego Costa. Ait-Nouri twice came close, while Kilman hit a post and Adama Traore fired over when well-positioned.
In the last three games, Costa’s game time has gradually increased, with his 82 minutes against Forest on Saturday comfortably his longest yet. The closest he’s come to a goal was on debut against West Ham United, when he headed Traore’s cross wide, but should he start in south London, he’ll be keen to get off the mark. He’ll fancy his chances too, given his record at Selhurst Park, where he’s scored on his previous two visits with Chelsea. Those goals both came in victories, in January and December of 2016. Can he make it three in three on Tuesday?
