Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham
Date: 03/11/2018
K/O: 19.45
Venue: Molineux
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Referee: Mike Dean
Wolves host Spurs in the late evening kick off on Saturday with both sides looking to bounce back after recent defeats.
Wolves’ status as the the Premier League’s in form team has been wiped with two consecutive defeats and Spurs have seemingly crashed out of Europe and failed to prove they’re up to the challenge of being title contenders by losing to Manchester City on Monday night.
The hosts are looking to bounce back from their two losses by proving they can get a result against one of the so called ‘big six’ clubs. They have already held both Manchester clubs to draws – home and away respectively so Tottenham can’t be too complacent come Saturday evening.
However it seems their fortunes have changed since the international break, losing at home for the first time this season against Watford and then losing to Brighton – failing to score in both games. They have been wasteful in front of goal recently and seem to have lost that organisation in defence and they certainly can’t afford to unite these two traits when facing a team like Spurs.
On the other hand, Saturday night’s visitors aren’t exactly boasting brilliant performances either. After all but mathematically being knocked out of the Champions League before losing to the Premier League champions, the same old questions are being asked about their competitiveness against the top teams.
Their loss on Monday will still be a fresh wound as they had many chances to equalise. It was an open match and the result was the same as what Spurs fans are unfortunately used to. Tottenham have come under heavy scrutiny from a variety of pundits regarding the club’s lack of success and being stagnant in the summer transfer window. Despite a midweek League Cup triumph against rivals West Ham, they will still have a point to prove on Saturday.
Team News
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nuno Espírito Santo has managed to keep his starting line up very consistent, with extended periods of going unchanged in the Premier League. The two consecutive losses without scoring will potentially prompt changes up front but the setup will have to account for Spurs’ attacking threat.
Wolves need to be more clinical in front of goal. They have had eight different scorers with Raul Jimenez the top goal scorer with just two goals. So far this season, they have had 145 shots with only 45 being on target and 16 of those being big chances. Their defensive statistics were up with the best before the international break, but now their goal difference has dropped to zero. One of the forwards need to step up and become the goal scorer that Wolves are missing, as these missed chances are costing them games.
Nuno tweaked his forward line and dropped Jota for Traore against Brighton. With no goals in the previous two games, even more changes could take place with Cavaleiro staking a claim for a Premier League start following some decent performances. Otherwise, Wolves are expected to keep the same starting XI as usual for in defence and midfield.
Tottenham
As Spurs were triumphant in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and have their second Champions League group fixture against PSV Eindhoven to come on Tuesday, it’s hard to judge whether Pochettino will play his strongest XI at the weekend. He has already rotated the Tottenham squad a number of times to keep his players fit but it depends on whether Pochettino thinks he can revive their Champions League dream or whether they focus on the Premier League.
Both Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen started in mid-week, as well as Son Heung-min. Considering the South Korean international got a brace against the Hammers, he could be brought in to replace either Lamela or Sissoko after their wasteful performances against the champions on Monday night. Lucas Moura may be one of the three behind Harry Kane to retain his place. Again, it depends on where Pochettino’s priorities lie. The Spurs manager will have most first team players available with the exception of Jan Vertonghen, who is still likely out until early December.
Kane was rested on Wednesday to give him a chance to recover from the long season the striker faced last campaign. This could lift underlying worries as to why his performance isn’t currently emulating that of previous seasons. He’s still Spurs’ top goalscorer with five strikes so far this campaign, but the role he plays currently has seen him be dragged deeper and less likely to get into goal scoring positions.
Predicted Starting XI’s
Wolverhampton Wanderers (5-2-3): Rui Patricio; Castro, Bennett, Boly, Coady, Doherty; Neves, Moutinho; Caveliero, Jimenez, Traore
Tottenham Hotspurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Moura; Kane
Score Prediction: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Tottenham
Whilst neither team has being playing poorly, they just haven’t taken their chances and ultimately that will lose you matches. Both teams have good attacking prowess but Spurs are more clinical from more areas of the pitch with a goal per game ratio of 1.60, whereas Wolves sit at 0.90, despite having had more shots.
The Lilywhites tend to be consistent against teams outside of the top six and on their day, are too much to handle. The hosts have proved they can go toe to toe with the bigger clubs but their poor finishing of late may put this game out of reach for them. The Londoners simply have too much in front of goal and the Midlands side may have fewer chances than usual.
