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TEAM NEWS
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has the same group of players available for selection. Matheus Cunha remains the only player missing due to a hamstring injury and is not likely to be back until after the late March international break.
On the other hand, Sheffield United will be without Mason Holgate as he serves a three-match ban following a red card against Brighton. Manager Chris Wilder hinted at some positive developments with a couple of players but didn’t reveal much.
There is optimism regarding the return of George Baldock and Cameron Archer from their respective injuries. Ben Brereton Diaz also sat out the previous weekend due to a hamstring issue.
GARY O'NEIL
Here are the key lines from the Wolves boss:
He said Sheffield United are “a really good challenge” because Blades manager Chris Wilder has changed his system several times, making it “difficult to know what to expect”.
Reflecting on bad memories of the reverse fixture, when Wanderers lost to a controversial stoppage-time penalty: “Not just bad memories of the VAR but the second-half performance. We lost some momentum and struggled to find our way back into the game. So it’s the same messages – the importance of being clinical when we are on top and then not giving them anything soft.”
On striker Sasa Kalajdzic, who has suffered a third ACL injury in five years while on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt: “The loan was to help him get minutes, so to suffer another injury to his knee means I’m incredibly disappointed for him. He’s done it twice before and shown he can come back so we’re all behind him.”
Midfielder Joao Gomes, Wolves’ match-winner at Tottenham last weekend, is working “really hard to improve on bits he needs tidying up on” and plays a big part in the attacking threat that Wolves will need when facing defensive teams.
Speaking about talk of qualifying for Europe: “I haven’t discussed it with anybody. I understand there will be some talk but it changes so quickly. I just try to win the next game and see how high we can finish, but of course we’d love to qualify, so let’s see where we can get to.”
He said since the victory over West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup fourth round, he has ” been forced” to do three fist pumps to the fans after a win. He added: “It will continue as long as the fans want me to do it and as long as the players keep pushing me to do it!”
On the importance of a good home atmosphere, he said: “It’s been fantastic every time we’ve played a team that’s come at us, but if it’s not going to be like that then we need to create it ourselves and try to get the fans up for the game by getting a goal or being on the front foot.”
MATCH FACTS & STATS
Head-to-head
- Sheffield United won the reverse fixture 2-1 in November courtesy of Oliver Norwood’s penalty in the 10th minute of added time. They can complete the league double over Wolves for the first time since 1989-90 in the second tier. The Blades last won this fixture home and away in a top-flight season in 1961-62.
- Wolves are unbeaten in nine home games against Sheffield United in all competitions since a 3-1 defeat in the second tier in October 2002.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Wolves have suffered successive home league defeats, having previously been unbeaten in eight matches at Molineux.
- Their tally of 10 league victories this season is only one short of their total for 2022-23.
- Wolves are the only team not to have scored a Premier League goal from outside the penalty area this season. They have had 101 attempts on goal from that range.
- Pedro Neto has provided nine assists in the Premier League this season, equalling the club record held by Adama Traore in 2019-20.
Sheffield United
- Their tally of 13 points is four fewer than any other team has had after 25 games of a Premier League season and gone on to avoid relegation.
- The Blades beat Luton in their most recent league away game and could register consecutive top-flight victories on their travels for the first time since December 2019 in Chris Wilder’s first spell as manager.
- Sheffield United have conceded 65 league goals this season, the most by a team after 25 matches of a top-flight campaign since 1963-64 when Ipswich let in 70.
- James McAtee is vying to become the first player to score in three successive top-flight away fixtures for the Blades since Bill Dearden from December 1972 to February 1973.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Darren Bond. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Graham Scott. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Darren Cann.
MATCH INFO
The match kicks off on Sunday 25th February at 1.30pm at Molineux and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK