Overview
Wolves host Manchester United at the Molineux before the first international break. The Red Devils will look to get back to winning ways, after the last week’s draw against Southampton. Wolves on the other hand have lost both their opening fixtures. They will look to upset Manchester United and get some points on the table. Bruno Lage’s team sits in the 16th spot early on in the season. They are also one of the three teams that are yet to score a goal. Wolves will hope Raul Jimenez breaks his goal drought from the opening two fixtures.
https://instagram.com/ballthatmatters?igshid=1wlttk94e247j
Manchester United hasn’t lost a single away fixture in the 2020/21 season. In fact, their last defeat away from home was against Liverpool in January 2020. They are also termed as favorites to challenge for the Premier League title. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will look forward to giving a debut to Raphael Varane. If he also does start Van De Beek and Jadon Sancho in the playing XI, remains to be seen.
Team News
Wolves
Wolves had plenty of injury concerns in the pre-season with their key players missing out. Pedro Neto and Jonny Otto are out for the long term. The good news is Daniel Podence, Willy Boly and Mosquera are back in training. Their availability will definitely bolster the team balance, which has been lacking in the first two games.
Injuries- Pedro Neto, Jonny Otto
Predicted Line Ups
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Jose Sa
Defense: Maximilian Kilman, Connor Coady, Romain Saiss, Nelson Semedo
Midfield: Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Fernando Marcal, Adama Traore, Francisco Trincao
Attack: Raul Jimenez
Manchester United
Manchester United has a plethora of options upfront. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will be tempted to start Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane. The Red Devils boss gave a positive update about the new signings. Donny Van De Beek will also fancy his chances to be in the starting XI. The last time the two teams met at the Molineux, Van de Beek’s performance was impressive. Anthony Martial’s dip in form could tempt Ole to start Mason Greenwood upfront. Besides these, Ole also has Lingard waiting for chances and Cavani is closer to being match fit. To add to it the latest signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is going to add further headache to the coach.
Injuries: Marcus Rashford, Scott Mctominay, Alex Telles & Dean Henderson
Predicted Line Ups
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
Defense: Aaron Wan Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw
Midfield: Van De Beek, Fred, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba
Attack: Mason Greenwood
Players to watch out for this clash
Wolves
Raul Jimenez
The Mexican International recently returned from his long-term head injury. He will be more than hungry to bag some goals. Ever since Jimenez debuted for Wolves, he has scored 51 goals in 126 appearances. If given space and proper service, Jimenez is a real threat up front.
Adama Traore
The attacking midfielder can cause plenty of havoc in the final third. Even though Traore may not score frequently, he is pace, clever runs, and positioning create plenty of space. This indeed helps the other attackers to create chances and score.
Ruben Neves
The Portuguese International is one of the key members of Wolves midfield. He provides a fine balance and controls the tempo of the game perfectly. Neves has the quality of being rock-solid in the defense as well as can link the attack with crucial through balls. If there’s any player Man United midfielders will be wary of, is Ruben Neves.
Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes
The Portuguese attacking midfielder could be the most marked player in the final third. Bruno Fernandes can turn the game around on his own by providing assists, through balls, free kicks, and long-range shots. He is also excellent at taking free-kicks and is deadly inside the box. Fernandes will look to replicate the performance he had against Leeds.
Paul Pogba
The French star certainly offers plenty of creativity on the left flank as well as in the middle. Pogba in two games has already registered five assists and will look to add more numbers to it. In Rashford’s absence, Pogba has certainly cemented his position on the left flank. It will be interesting to see where he will play once Rashford is match fit.
Mason Greenwood
Anthony Martial’s dip in form has opened the doors for Mason Greenwood to fill in. He has certainly grabbed his opportunity and has scored two goals in two matches. The teenage attacker can play in any position in front of the goal. Greenwood also has an excellent eye for goal and can score from either of his foot.
Conclusion
The change in manager has meant that Wolves will have to adapt to Bruno Lage’s methods quickly. Wolves have tricky fixtures lined up in the coming 6-8 weeks. They should look to get as many points as possible to stay in the top half of the table. The good news for Wolves is that their injured players are returning. This will give more options to Bruno Lage in choosing his playing XI.
Manchester United on the other hand will want to get all three points so that they can get close to the top. They can’t afford another poor start for the season which can hamper their chances to mount a proper title challenge. With Edinson Cavani & Cristiano Ronaldo getting closer to starting line up it already looks bright for the Red Devils upfront.
For more such articles do click here
