Wolverhampton Wanderers will take on Crystal Palace this evening in a Premier League clash in which a win could be a monumental step towards securing safety for Julen Lopetegui’s men.
After impressive back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Brentford, Wolves suffered a hugely disappointing defeat at the hands of relegation-threatened Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
However, Wolves still retain a six-point gap between themselves and the drop zone, so a victory tonight would take them above their opponents into 12th position.
Lopetegui is expected to name a rotated team and here is how Wolves' starting XI could look when they take to the field at Molineux this evening.
How could Wolves line up against Crystal Palace?
4-3-3 – Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Toti; Nunes, Neves, Gomes; Traore, Podence, Cunha.
Sa will start in goal despite having one of his worst performances against the Foxes last weekend when he unceremoniously apprehended Jamie Vardy to concede a penalty, which Kelechi Iheanacho dispatched.
However, the Portuguese has begun every game this term and this poor display is not expected to deter Lopetegui’s faith in him.
Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, and Toti are to make up an unchanged back four. These were the same defenders who performed admirably in the previous two home league matches that starved Chelsea and Brentford of any goals.
Nunes and Gomes will also keep their places, whilst Neves will replace Mario Lemina. The Gabonese sustained a minor hamstring issue in the last outing and the return of Wolves’ prize asset, club captain, and most influential player seems like a formality.
The £38m-rated star was back on the bench for the Leicester game after serving a two-game suspension.
The biggest changes for this team could appear in the frontline. Daniel Podence was surprisingly dropped from the last lineup and could replace Diego Costa in a rotated attack. The £60k-per-week man is the club’s top scorer with six goals this campaign and has created the second most chances in the squad (39) at a rate of 1.15 per 90, as per BBC Sport.
The diminutive winger has been likened to Eden Hazard by retired Premier League striker Darren Bent, due to his effervescent and dynamic profile.
The final Wolves change will see Traore come in for Pablo Sarabia, to provide some more pace and athleticism on the right wing. The former Barcelona man scored the last time the Midlands club faced the Eagles back in October 2022.
Finally, Cunha, who scored the goal last weekend with a coolly placed finish, will be deployed as the lone central striker.
