[Pre-match Thread] Wolves vs Tottenham (11/11/23)
Wolves vs Tottenham
Competition: Premier League
Date: 11th Nov 2023
Venue: Molineux Stadium
Kickoff: 12:30 (GMT)
Referee: Tim Robinson
Team News
Wolves would have departed Bramall Lane with a few bruised egos, but O'Neil did not witness any players leave the field with injuries, leaving a trio of players on the treatment table for gameweek 12.
The hosting manager has already conceded that the revitalised Pedro Neto will not return before the international break, while Joe Hodge (shoulder) and Hugo Bueno (hamstring) will not be at his disposal either, although the latter could return before the end of the month.
Bellegarde's ultimately inconsequential contribution off the bench against Sheffield United could see the former Strasbourg man rewarded with a recall to the XI over Tommy Doyle, although O'Neil may be tempted to bring in Boubacar Traore for a more defensive presence.
As for a ravaged Tottenham crop, Udogie will serve his one-game ban here on account of his red card versus Chelsea, while Romero will begin a three-match suspension, which will also see the Argentine sit out meetings with Aston Villa and Manchester City in the coming weeks.
To add injury to insult, Micky van de Ven pulled up with what appeared to be a serious hamstring problem on Monday, while James Maddison was withdrawn owing to a blow to the ankle, but Spurs' creator-in-chief should shake off his affliction in time for Saturday.
None of Manor Solomon (knee), Ivan Perisic (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh) or Alfie Whiteman (ankle) will be able to take part, though, and if Ben Davies cannot recover from his own ankle issue, Postecoglou may have no choice but to throw 18-year-old Ashley Phillips into the first XI.
Attacker Richarlison has also announced that he has undergone surgery on a groin injury, which will keep the Brazilian attacker sidelined for a couple of weeks.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Toti; Hwang, Lemina, Bellegarde, Ait-Nouri; Cunha, KalajdzicTottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Dier, Phillips, Royal; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son
Match Facts
- Half of the 18 Premier League meetings between Wolves and Tottenham have been won by the away side – of all fixtures to have been played as many times, only Leicester against Manchester City (54%) has been won more often by the away team.
- Wolves have scored at least once in each of their past 10 Premier League games, though they have only kept one clean sheet in their past 14.
- Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou suffered his first Premier League defeat on Monday in his 11th game in the competition, with only Maurizio Sarri (12 games) and Frank Clark (11 games) having longer unbeaten starts.
- Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan has been involved in eight Premier League goals this season (6 goals, 2 assists), his best return in a single campaign in the competition.
- In their 4-1 defeat to Chelsea, Spurs received two red cards in a Premier League game for only the fourth time, and first time ever in a home game. In the competition this season, only Wolves (38) and Chelsea (36) have picked up more cards than Spurs (34 – 31 yellows, 3 reds).
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Wolves wins: 31
Draws: 21
Tottenham wins: 52
Pundit Predictions
Sports Mole
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
While some applauded Tottenham and Postecoglou for risking it all against Chelsea with a high defensive line, others lambasted the Australian as Jackson tapped in three times in the final 20 minutes, but one can be sure that the Spurs boss will continue with such tactics no matter what personnel is at his disposal.
Even with nine men, Tottenham were not without their opportunities on Monday, and given Wolves' recent propensity for both scoring and shipping goals, we can envisage an entertaining draw being played out on Saturday lunchtime.
Evening Standard
Wolves will fancy their chances of pulling off a result against Spurs given their absentees, and Molineux is never an easy place to visit.
Manager Gary O'Neil will have his players ready, and it will be up to Postecoglou to do the same by lifting their spirits.
Honours even at Molineux, 2-2 draw.
BBC'S Chris Sutton
It was incredible to watch what Ange Postecoglou tried to do by keeping such a high line when Tottenham went down to nine men against Chelsea.
I was a fan of his at Celtic, and I know he likes to do things differently, but I'd never seen anything like that in my lifetime - and I loved it.
They lost 4-1 in the end but had chances at 2-1 and came so close to getting a draw.
Spurs are depleted now with injuries to James Maddison and Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie suspended, so it's going to be a patched-up Tottenham side at Molineux.
Postecoglou is not going to change the way he plays, but of course all of those absences will have an impact.
Wolves were very unlucky to lose to a late Sheffield United penalty last week - it looked like a dive to me - and they have been much improved in recent weeks. On that basis, I'm going for a draw.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Metro Dimitar Berbatov's
It’s a big test for Spurs to see how they bounce back from the defeat against Chelsea. I want to believe they can win but Wolves can be a tricky opponent. I believe Spurs can do something really special this year, so I’ll go with them to win.
Prediction: 1-2
Consolidating Info: Where to watch games around the UK and the World.