WATCH FOR OUR THOUGHTS AND PREDICTIONS AHEAD OF WOLVES V BRIGHTON
TEAM NEWS
Wolves will be without Matt Doherty on Sunday after the defender underwent wrist surgery and is set for a period out. Toti is ill with flu and will be unavailable. Jorgen Strand Larsen is still short of full fitness, and Wolves are managing his involvement.
Meanwhile, Hurzeler confirmed his only fresh injury concern is Joel Veltman who will miss Sunday’s game after picking up a “small issue” in the win over Chelsea but will be back after the international break.
VITOR PEREIRA
Pereira says he can start both Tolu Arokodare and Jorgen Strand Larsen together when they are both fit but right now they aren’t in the best shape.
The head coach said: “He’s not the Larsen that you used to see pressing, fighting, because he has got some pain. He’s trying to help the team in this important moment, but he’s not in his best level. When Tolu started to work with us he was not ready to start a game. But we needed him to start at Newcastle. He tried his best, scored a beautiful goal against Everton, but he is not yet in his best shape.”
He revealed Toti Gomes may be a doubt for Sunday after coming down with the flu.
When asked about the nine changes made from the squad that played against Leeds he said: “I changed the players because we were not winning games, that’s why I changed the system. What we did in the past wasn’t enough. And I know that I can find the solutions. I know that I can do better. I know the level my team can play and they need to be proving every day that they deserve the shot and position.”
He is more confident in his team now he sees his players fighting for positions: “I’ve seen my team trying to prove that we deserve more than this. We’ve increased the intensity and aggressiveness in the training. They are trying to fight for their position, but in the right way, working, running, fighting and playing. This is why I’m more confident now than before.”
He is seeing positive improvements from his team: “The players now understand what we are demanding, tactically, mentally, and they are, for the first time in this league, realising what this league is demanding from them. What I see on the pitch every day is a team committed and competing to be at the best level with confidence and spirit.”
He says his players are starting to settle in and express themselves: “When you start a new season in a different club with a new manager your focus is in information, in the tactical things and you cannot express yourself. If I don’t have a connection with the players, it’s difficult. But now in the last weeks I felt that it will be something. I’m building a team. I’m building my identity and now the players are in the conditions to express themselves.”
When asked if Sam Johnstone’s number one shirt is his to lose he said: “Football is not about gifts. I cannot offer you a shirt because you are a name in football, you must desire. You must deserve with your work, it is not about words. If I have two players in the same position, and the level is almost the same, if I choose one over the other it’s because he deserves to be there.”
MATCH STATS & FACTS
Wolves have won just two of their 14 Premier League games against Brighton (D6 L6) and are winless in their last seven (D2 L5) since a 1-0 triumph in December 2021 under Bruno Lage.
Brighton have won each of their last four league visits to Wolves; the only sides the Seagulls have ever won 5+ successive away games against in their league history are Grimsby Town (5 from 1985 to 1992) and Wolves themselves (6 from 1979 to 1991).
Only against West Ham (31) have Brighton scored more Premier League goals than they have against Wolves (27), with their average of 1.9 goals per game against Wolves their joint-best of any opponent they’ve faced more than twice in the competition.
Wolves have lost their first three home Premier League matches this season – they could be the first side in top-flight history to lose their opening four at home in consecutive seasons, having done so in 2024-25.
Wolves are winless in their last 10 Premier League games (D2 L8), with a 94th minute João Palhinha strike denying them their first win of the season last time out against Spurs. They’ve already lost at home to Brighton in this run, going down 2-0 in May.
Brighton have kept just one clean sheet in their last 18 Premier League games, with that coming in a 2-0 win at Wolves in May. Indeed, the Seagulls are one of just four teams without a clean sheet so far this term along with Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United.
Brighton have won more points from losing positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (6), coming from behind to beat Man City and Chelsea. Meanwhile, only Brentford (8) have dropped more points from winning positions than Wolves (5).
Wolves have had fewer big chances than any other side in the Premier League this season (4); however, they’ve scored with all four of them, giving them the only 100% big chance conversion rate so far.
Wolves have made more starting XI changes than any other side in the Premier League this season (24). They made nine changes in their last match against Spurs, the earliest into a season a team has made 9+ changes to their starting lineup (MD6).
Last time out against Chelsea, Brighton forward Danny Welbeck scored in his 17th different Premier League campaign, with only four players netting in more (Ryan Giggs 21, Paul Scholes 19, Frank Lampard 18, James Milner 18). Meanwhile, his six goals against Wolves are his joint-most against an opponent in the competition.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS (ALL COMPETITIONS)
FORM GUIDE (ALL COMPETITIONS)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Jarred Gillett. Assistants: Lee Betts, Neil Davies. Fourth official: Paul Tierney. VAR: Matt Donohue. Assistant VAR: Tim Wood.
MATCH INFO
We kick off at 2pm on Sunday 5th October at Molineux and will be shown live on Sky Sports.