Wolves v Man Utd preview: Red Devils aim for third successive victory
That ended a run of five league games without a victory and lifted them to within a point of escaping the relegation zone. Despite that, this remains Wolves’ worst start to a campaign at this stage since 2003/04, when they went on to be relegated to the Championship.
Their form at Molineux must improve if they’re to escape the drop, with Wolves suffering three consecutive home losses and conceding nine goals along the way.
Only basement dwellers Southampton have accumulated fewer points on their own patch than Wolves’ measly haul of eight points, so the home faithful will be hoping Lopetegui can inspire a change in fortunes, especially given that he won his only previous managerial meeting with their next opponent Manchester United - a 2-1 semi-final victory in the UEFA Europa League when in charge of Sevilla during the 2019/20 season.
The Red Devils journey south in fine spirits after recording their biggest PL win under Erik ten Hag, comfortably sweeping Nottingham Forest aside 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Despite that, the Dutchman demanded ‘more goals’ from his side in the wake of that victory as they look to break into the UEFA Champions League places, with only a point now separating United from fourth-placed Tottenham.
Ten Hag is certainly getting a good tune out of his United team at the moment, as they’ve now lost just one of their last 14 matches in all competitions (W11, D2).
Yet one area for improvement is certainly the Red Devils’ defensive record on the road, as only five PL teams have conceded more than their 16 goals across eight away fixtures.
Players to watch: Wolves full-back Rayan Aït-Nouri has scored in consecutive games for the first time in his career, both coming beyond the 90th minute. He may be tasked with handling United’s Marcus RashfordMarcus Rashford, who has directly contributed to a goal for every 113.8 minutes he’s played for the club this season (G10, A4).
Hot stat: Wolves have scored just ten PL goals, fewer than any other side. They’ve also failed to find the net in 50% of their league outings this term.
