Wolves will be playing in the Championship next season.
There is this strange vibe going into the Lilywhites game this Saturday as the Lilywhites make the trip to Monileux Stadium in what is a must-win game for the North Londoners.
Spurs’ opponents for this weekend are Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have already sealed their relegation fate as Tottenham Hotspur continue to fight hard.
And given where both the teams stand should give so much into how their respective managers will line up. And especially the hosts with injuries piling up and that pressure to keep pushing not being there anymore means Rob Edwards is expected to start connecting dots to the playing style as he prepares for next season. And this in itself should propel Wolves to play openly.
We look at how Rob can position his team for the clash against Spurs.
Wolves predicted lineup vs Tottenham
Goalkeeper: Dan Bentley
The Arsenal academy graduate is expected to keep his spot between the sticks with Sa not available for the game as the latter nurses a shoulder problem.
There is no debate here, especially given who’s available for Wolves, but more than him, it will be important to see who plays in front of him, as Bentley is likely to face a lot of shots from even what is a struggling Tottenham side, given that even when these lot are not playing well, they do create a lot of shooting opportunities.
Defence: Tchatchoua, Toti Gomes, Santiago Bueno, Hugo Bueno
The back line is where Wolves are suffering with injuries and suspensions. And that will force Rob Edwards into making some changes that test Wolves’ depth.
Toti Gomes and Santiago Bueno will start in their natural centre-back pairing, giving a sense of balance.
Jackson Tchatchoua and Hugo Bueno like to move, and both of them will take up either flank in that last line, which also shows that Wolves will come into this game wanting to sit back, but they will try to push their full-backs high against Tottenham and test the vulnerabilities that the Lilywhites have in their back line instead.
Midfield: Joao Gomes, Andre, Mateus Mane
This midfield three is an interesting trio for the West Midlands side. If you look at them individually, Joao Gomes gives you that high energy in the middle of the park, while Andre gives you a sense of structure.
And now with Angel Gomes not fully fit after he picked up an injury against Leeds, Mateus Manes suddenly becomes important.
With these three, you get a gist that they are not meant to sit back but instead to move the ball and get better off the Lilywhites’ structure and test Tottenham’s weakness, especially in transitions.
Forward: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Adam Armstrong, Hwang Hee-chan
Adam Armstrong will lead the line for Wolves, giving them a bit of speed but more importantly, his movements, which are a bit difficult to deal with, especially in transitions. Bellegarde will pick up the flank role, where he will try to link play and find spaces.
Hwang Hee-chan remains that veteran presence in the front line who remains a havoc to deal with given his speed and composure.
This lineup screams that Wolves won’t have the ball most of the time, but they’ll look to catch Tottenham off guard when they push forward.