Wolves v Tottenham – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Wolves host Tottenham at Molineux in the early kickoff on Saturday. The hosts saw a four-match unbeaten run ended last time out whilst nine-man Spurs were beaten for the first time this season on Monday. With some key defensive players missing, Wolves will hope to do to Tottenham what they did to Man City in late September.

Wolves Form

It’s been a very mixed season for Wolves. They began with four losses in the first five league matches despite some good performances and some VAR errors against them. In round six, they could only draw 1-1 at Luton but a shock 2-1 home win over Man City followed to reward some strong displays.

A 1-1 home draw against Aston Villa preceded a 2-1 win at Bournemouth thanks to an 88th-minute winner. Wolves then came from 2-1 down to draw 2-2 at home to high-flying Newcastle. They were expected to beat struggling Sheffield United last week, but a goal leaked in the 10th minute of added time saw them lose 2-1 at Bramall Lane. Wolves had 62% possession but only put up 1.33 xG.

Wolves Team News

Gary O’Neill is without three players for this match. Joe Hodge is out and so is left back Hugo Bueno. The big blow is the injury of winger Pedro Neto, who is amongst the league’s top assist providers this season. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is set for a recall after his goal from the bench last time out.

Matheus Cunha could move to the number nine role with Sasa Kalajdzic dropping to the bench. In Neto’s absence, Rayan Ait-Nouri may continue as the left winger in preference to Pablo Sarabia. Joao Gomes is another set for a recall with Tommy Doyle expected to return to the bench.

Wolves Motivation

As against Liverpool and Man City this season, Wolves will use fast counters as their main attacking avenue. They won’t press high but will look to draw Spurs onto them.

A draw at home would be seen as something to build on. O’Neill could switch to a back five in the second half to protect a one-point haul.

Tottenham Form

Tottenham lost their last match having won eight and drawn two of their first 10 league fixtures. With nine men, Spurs fought hard on Monday but were eventually beaten 4-1 at arch-rivals Chelsea. They’ve been scoring two or more goals in almost every match and were scoring late goals to take full three-point hauls.

A 5-2 thrashing of Burnley 5-2 preceded a 2-1 win at home against Sheffield United thanks to two very late goals. We saw them come from behind to draw 2-2 at Arsenal and then beat nine-man Liverpool 2-1 in the last minute. A 1-0 win at Luton with ten men came before successive derby victories, 2-0 vs Fulham and 2-1 away at Crystal Palace.

Liverpool Team News

Spurs have a defensive crisis for this match. Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero are suspended after red cards and Micky van de Ven is ruled out with a serious hamstring issue. Pedro Porro is a doubt after not training this week, but he should be fit. Emerson Royal is set to play at left-back with Ben Davies another question mark.

In the middle, Eric Dier will start. Alongside him could be teenager Ashley Phillips. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is an option to drop into the backline, or Emerson Royal could partner Dier if Davies is fit. James Maddison is another injury so Gio Lo Celso may get a rare start. Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon remain absent.

Tottenham Motivation

Ange Postecoglou only knows one way to play. His side will attack, play a high line, and press aggressively. They will want a response to Monday’s loss to Chelsea.

Nothing less than three points will be settled for in this match. A draw would be seen as a poor result.

Key Stats

Wolves have 1 win in their last 6 home PL matches (7 wins in 9 before that)

Wolves have scored 1 or less goals in 19 of their last 27 home EPL fixtures

The last 5 EPL meetings between these sides have seen just one team on target

Tottenham have won 8 of their 11 Premier League matches this season (2 draws)

Tottenham have scored 2+ goals in 10 of their last 12 EPL matches.

Verdict

This match is tough to call. Wolves don’t score many goals and this fixture tends to be low scoring. Spurs have lost of defensive injuries and suspensions and may be vulnerable. It seems likely we will see both teams on target.

Best Bet: Tottenham win at 2.10
Alternative Bet: Both Teams to Score + Over 2.5 goals at 1.90
Value Bet: Tottenham to win and both teams to score at 3.55