Tottenham Hotspur will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to the Molineux to take on Wolves this weekend.
The final fixture of Matchday 15 of the 2020/21 Premier League takes place at the Molineux Stadium on Sunday night as Wolves welcome Tottenham Hotspur for what would be a tightly-contested battle.
Wolves have had an inconsistent start to the new season and are 11th in the table, although they are only five points off sixth place. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have won just two of their last seven matches, with their most recent game ending in a 2-1 defeat to Burnley. They will be aiming to make the most of their opponents’ recent decline in form and return to winning ways.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have slipped down to the sixth place, having been at the top of the standings not very long ago. The Lilywhites have failed to win their last three league games, facing back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Leicester City. Jose Mourinho’s side did bounce back with a 3-1 win over Stoke City in the Carabao Cup and will hope to carry the momentum into Sunday’s game.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-1 win for Tottenham, courtesy an injury-time winner from Jan Vertonghen after Adama Traore had cancelled out Lucas Moura’s early goal. Ahead of their latest meeting at the Molineux, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both the teams.
Team News & Tactics
Wolves
Raul Jimenez and Jonny Castro remain long-term absentees for Wolves, while midfielder Leander Dendoncker remains a doubt for the fixture, with his availability likely to be determined by a late fitness test on matchday. Having briefly tried the 4-2-3-1 system, Nuno has switched back to the three-man backline and is expected to stick with it on Sunday.
Rui Patricio is a certainty to feature in the Wolves’ goal, while there is no looking past Willy Boly, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss in the three-man defensive unit. Summer signing Nelson Semedo should get the nod at right wing-back while Marcal is expected to come in for Rayan Ait-Nouri on the opposite flank.
Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves should continue to occupy the two central midfield slots for Wolves in Dendoncker’s potential absence. Owen Otasowie started out as the lone attacking midfielder last time out against Burnley, but could miss out here, with Daniel Podence likely to drop into the hole behind the two forwards.
Pedro Neto, who has been an influential figure this season for Wolves should start alongside Fabio Silva, who scored in the defeat against Burnley at the top, with Adama Traore an option from the bench for the home team.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Marcal; Podence; Silva, Neto
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will once again be without Japhet Tanganga, who is out with a shoulder injury while Jose Mourinho has also confirmed Giovani Lo Celso will be unavailable due to a thigh injury he picked up last week against Leicester. Gareth Bale’s involvement is also a doubt after he came off at half-time against Stoke due to calf issue.
Having made a few changes to his regular lineup for the midweek cup tie, Mourinho is expected to recall his stars on Sunday night against Wolves. Club captain Hugo Lloris is a certainty in goal for Tottenham, while Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier are also expected to feature at the heart of the Lilywhites’ defence.
Serge Aurier had a forgettable outing last time out against Leicester and could sit this one out with former Wolves man, Matt Doherty, getting favoured at right-back while Sergio Reguilon gets the nod over Ben Davies on the left side of the Tottenham defence.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has become an indispensable member of the Tottenham starting lineup and is sure to start in the midfield double pivot alongside the energetic Moussa Sissoko. With Lo Celso ruled out, Tanguy Ndombele should get the nod as the playmaker for the visitors on Sunday.
Steven Bergwijn has been favoured to the likes of Lucas Moura and Bale in the Premier League by Jose and that is unlikely to change at the Molineux. The Dutchman should start on the right-wing, while in-form star Son Heung-min slots in on the left, with Harry Kane spearheading the Tottenham attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Doherty, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son; Kane
Betting Odds
Favourable Tips
- Both Teams to Score – YES @ 1.95
Hot Ones
- Wolves to win @ 3.40
Key Stats
- Tottenham have won each of their last three Premier League away games against Wolves, scoring at least two goals each time. Indeed, only one of Spurs’ four defeats to Wolves in the competition have come at the Molineux.
- Having won their last game against Tottenham 3-2, Wolves are looking to pick up back-to-back wins against the North Londoners in the Premier League for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign, when they completed a league double over them.
- After winning their first four Premier League away games this season, Tottenham are without a victory in their last three fixtures on the road (D2 L1). However, they are yet to lose consecutive away games under Jose Mourinho.
- Since their return to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have won 17 of their 19 Premier League home games when scoring the first goal, drawing the other two.
- Tottenham have lost their last two Premier League matches, as many as their previous 22 in the competition (W12 D8). They haven’t lost three league games in a row since November 2012 under Andre Villas-Boas.
Player to Watch
Matt Doherty
Having spent over seven years at the Molineux, Doherty will return to the ground for the first time since leaving Wolves for Tottenham this past summer. The Irishman had carved out a reputation of being one of the best right wing-backs in the Premier League prior to his summer departure but has struggled to make the desired impact at his new club.
Indeed, having started the season as the first-choice right-back, Doherty lost his place to Serge Aurier in recent weeks and has since been mostly used in cup ties. However, following Aurier’s recent error-strewn display, the 28-year-old could get a chance to reclaim his starting berth with a strong display against his former club this weekend.
Prediction
Wolves 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
After a flying start to the campaign, Tottenham have been pegged back in recent weeks and even though Wolves haven’t been in the best of forms, the Molineux is never an easy place to visit, especially when things are not going your way.
Jose Mourinho sets his team up to play in a certain way that might not work too well against Wolves, who themselves prefer to play on the counter. So, this might turn out to be a cagey affair with chances not coming in big numbers. Tottenham’s superior quality in the final third, though, should be able to see them through to a much-needed win.
