watch our preview wolves v Fulham
TEAM NEWS
Nelson Semedo and Adama Traore are available but without taking part in pre-season are likely to be eased back into the squad., Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez are both still sidelined but we could see Gonçalo Guedes make his debut.
Marco Silva has confirmed that Manor Solomon is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury. The winger made his debut from the bench against Liverpool, but suffered an injury the following day. Harry Wilson is also sidelined and could be out for another 6-8 weeks. Nathanial Chalobah could be back in contention and Issa Drop and Shane Duffy are definitely both available.
MATCH FORM
Fulham had a great start to the season in their match against Liverpool and they’ll be confident and ambitious. Mitrovic is looking like a real goal threat so far this season.
Wolves had a good performance against Leeds although they fell to defeat. Wolves dominated the game in large parts but didn’t sustain momentum and performance faded in the latter stages of the game.
PREDICTED LINE UP
DOWNLOAD PITCH SPORT TO CREATE YOUR OWN LINEUP PLUS LOTS MORE FEATURES FOR WOLVES FANS.
FIND THE LINKS HERE FOR APP STORE & GOOGLE PLAY.
head to head stats
BRUNO LAGE
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Lage said Goncalo Guedes’ versatility was key to him pushing for the Portuguese player to join his side: “It is so important in these days with five subs and this kind of player that can do several things and understand more than one system, it is easier for us to change the game.”
He also said that Guedes was “one of the first names I said last year to come in”.
The Wolves boss confirmed that Ruben Neves will be the captain going forward.
But he was also full of praise for Max Kilman, saying the defender is a “future captain” and that it would be the “right decision to push him” following last season.
Lage is wary of the threat of Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic: “They have top players like Mitrovic, who scored 40 goals in the Championship and in the very first game he scored two goals against Liverpool.”
He was also complimentary of Marco Silva, who Lage is familiar with from his time in Portugal.
A key theme from the news conference was that Lage asked for “time and patience” both on and off the pitch as they work to implement a new system of play and on transfers.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Wolves have won nine of the past 12 meetings, including the last three in a row by a 1-0 scoreline in the top flight.
- Fulham are winless in 13 league away matches against Wolves since a 4-0 triumph in the second tier in March 1985 (D3, L10).
- Wolves have won five of the six Premier League encounters at Molineux (W5, D1).
Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Wolves are winless in 11 Premier League games in August since a 2-0 home win against Fulham in 2011 (D6 L5). Only in April (14 games between 2004 and 2012) have Wolves had a longer winless run in a specific month.
- They have lost three of their past four Premier League games when scoring first, more than they had in their previous 55 such occasions since returning to the top flight in 2018.
- Bruno Lage’s side earned more points in away games (27) than they did at Molineux (24) last season. Only relegated pair Watford and Norwich City lost more top-flight home matches than the nine by Wolves in 2021-22.
- They have lost their first home league match in the past two seasons, losing to Manchester City and Spurs. They last did so in three consecutive seasons between 1985-86 and 1987-88, when beaten by Newport County, Cambridge United and Halifax Town.
Fulham
- The Cottagers can equal the club Premier League record of 12 successive winless matches, set from November 2007 to January 2008 and equalled from December 2020 to February 2021.
- Aleksandar Mitrovic could become the first Fulham player to score in their opening two matches of a Premier League season since Damien Duff in 2012-13.
- Mitrovic scored both goals on the opening weekend, taking his tally to 45 goals in his last 44 league appearances. The Serbian netted only three times in 27 league games in the Cottagers’ most recent Premier League season, in 2020-21.
- Fulham picked up more Premier League points in away games (18) than at Craven Cottage (10) in 2020-21.
- They won their opening away fixture in two of their previous 15 Premier League seasons, most recently in 2013-14.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: John Brooks. Assistants: Neil Davies, Natalie Aspinall. Fourth official: David Webb. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith.
MATCH INFO
The match kicks off Saturday 13th August, 3pm at Molineux