Nine-game winless Wolves face Palace in bottom-table clash.

2024-10-27

As Wolves strive to end a nine-game winless streak, they face a rejuvenated Crystal Palace at Molineux on Saturday, November 2, with both teams eager to climb out of Premier League's perilous depths.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

A stoppage-time goal from Matheus Cunha in the 90+3 minute helped the Wanderers escape defeat against Brighton last time out. This came after an 85th-minute effort from Evan Ferguson left them trailing by a goal.

Wolves are currently seated in 19th place, just a point above bottom-placed Southampton. They will be looking to climb further up the table when they face Palace this weekend.

Being one of the three sides to remain without a win in the Premier League, and the only non-promoted side to do so, the Wanderers could see their nine-game winless run stretch further. Matheus Cunha, last weekend’s hero, remarked on the challenge ahead stating, ‘Of course, Crystal Palace is also a very good team, but they’ve started the season like us.’

‘We need to be very careful, because they come here with a little bit more power after winning their last game, a very important game against Tottenham,’ he added. Wolves, who have only two points (LLLLD), are desperately looking to turn a corner, leaving Gary O’Neil under intense pressure.

With a 3—4—2—1 formation expected, featuring Jørgen Strand Larsen in attack, Wolves will have to contend with significant injury woes. They will be without as many as six players, including Boubacar Traore and Enso González.

Crystal Palace

Palace picked up their first win of the season last weekend with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham. In midweek, they achieved a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the EFL Cup, leaving Oliver Glasner's side with back-to-back victories across all competitions. Looking to continue this momentum, Palace aim for another triumph in the Premier League as they travel to Wolverhampton.

The Eagles currently sit in 17th place, just two points above the relegation zone. Notably, Palace has a strong recent record against Wolves, winning six of their last seven Premier League encounters with them. This is a stark improvement from their previous 20 league matches against Wolves.

Despite this promising record, Palace faces a challenge due to having the joint-worst attacking record in the Premier League. Oliver Glasner might opt for a 3-4-2-1 formation, potentially featuring Jean-Philippe Mateta in attack. However, Eberechi Eze's availability remains uncertain due to a muscle injury picked up during the midweek EFL Cup match against Villa. Glasner commented, "It was a problem with his hamstring, so I do not know how serious it is, but a muscle is never the best injury that you can get."