TEAM NEWS
Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes is set to miss a month after injuring his thigh against Bromley.
The club is still monitoring Joe Willock, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, and Alexander Isak, who all missed Sunday’s FA Cup game.
Wolves get Matheus Cunha back after a two-match ban, but he’s still dealing with issues from his Tottenham injury on 29 December and may not last the full match.
Toti Gomes remains unavailable, but Nelson Semedo and Craig Dawson are back. New signing Emmanuel Agbadou could make his Premier League debut.
VITOR PEREIRA'S PRESS CONFERENCE
Pereira confirmed Nelson Semedo, Matheus Cunha and Craig Dawson are fit and ready for Wednesday: “They are coming back from injury and we need to be careful with minutes, but we need players with their quality.”
Pereira also confirmed Mario Lemina is available after recovering from illness.
On the midfielder’s contract, which expires in the summer: “It’s an issue he must solve with the club. We know what he wants and we now have to solve the issue. I expect him to be professional.”
On top scorer Cunha’s return from a two-match ban: “In the conversations that we have together, he is very comfortable. He’s very happy with his role in the team. If he’s happy, I’m happy. If he plays at a high level, I’m happy for him.”
However, Pereira was not drawn into talking about his striker’s future: “I don’t know – you must ask the club. He’s my player and I won’t lose sleep thinking about it.”
Pereira has been pleased with Rodrigo Gomes’ attitude since arriving at Molineux: “He’s small, but he has a lot of energy. He is very happy as a person, smiling every time with good energy. If he starts on the bench, he’s the same and helps the team. This is the personality I like.”
On opponents Newcastle: “A team that has eight wins in a row. They play with identity at a physical level, technical level and tactical level. They are a strong team, but I don’t know any perfect teams. With our game and our qualities, we have the players. We can’t allow them to play how they want to.”
MATCH STATS & FACTS
Head-to-head
Newcastle are vying to complete a league double against Wolves for the first time in 119 years.
Wolves have failed to keep a clean sheet in all nine of their Premier League matches at St James’ Park and have lost on each of their past three visits.
Eleven of the 19 Premier League meetings have ended drawn, equivalent to 58% – the highest percentage of any fixture played at least 15 times in the competition.
Newcastle United
The Magpies have won eight successive matches in all competitions, scoring a total of 23 goals and conceding just three.
They are vying for six consecutive league victories for the first time since December 2022.
Eddie Howe’s team are unbeaten when scoring first in the top flight this season, winning seven of nine matches and drawing the other two.
Alexander Isak can become the fourth player to score in eight consecutive Premier League appearances, emulating Jamie Vardy, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Daniel Sturridge. Vardy and Van Nistelrooy achieved the feat on two separate occasions.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves have won two of their past 16 away league games (D5, L9), beating Fulham 4-1 in November and Leicester 3-0 in December.
Their matches this season have produced a total of 76 top-flight goals (31 scored, 45 conceded), more than any other club.
Wolves have conceded 18 goals from set-pieces, excluding penalties, in all competitions this season, four more than any other Premier League club prior to the midweek fixtures.
They have scored one headed goal in the top flight this term, a joint low with Southampton and Ipswich.
But Wolves have netted seven Premier League goals from counter-attacks in 2024-25, the third highest total in the competition behind Liverpool’s nine and Tottenham’s 10.
Matheus Cunha has 10 non-penalty goals in the Premier League this season, a total exceeded by only Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah (both 13) and Erling Haaland (15).
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Darren England. Assistants: Nick Greenhalgh, Akil Howson. Fourth official: Darren Bond. VAR: Graham Scott. Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith.
MATCH INFO
This one is a 7.30pm kick off at St James Park on Wednesday 15th January 2025. The match can be watched live in the UK on TNT.