Bottom-placed-winless Wolves face newly-promoted Leeds in weekend encounter.
Wolverhampton Wanderers face Leeds United at the Molineux Stadium on Saturday, September 20, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 [GMT+1].
For Wolves, this match represents a chance to steady the ship and restore belief. The Wanderers, who are seated at the bottom of the table, hope to put an end to their poor Premier League start. They come into Saturday’s clash under real pressure after losing their opening four league matches [LLLL] – the first time in their history they’ve suffered such a run at the start of a campaign. Only five sides have ever gone on to lose their first five games of a Premier League season, with clubs like Sunderland, Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, and Norwich all suffering that fate in previous years. Vítor Pereira’s side will be determined to avoid joining that unwanted list. However, the recent head-to-head record makes for worrying reading for Wolves’ fans. They are winless in their last four league meetings with Leeds (D1 L3), despite scoring first in three of those games. Home form is another concern. Wolves have lost eight of their last nine Premier League matches at the Molineux played in August and September, conceding 28 goals across that period. There are, however, some positives for Wolves to build on. They boast a strong recent record against newly promoted sides, winning eight of their last 10 Premier League matches in such fixtures (D1 L1). In fact, they have won their last four in a row and will be aiming to extend that run to five – something they last achieved in the early 1960s. Ironically, that streak was ended by Leeds, adding an extra twist to the narrative ahead of this meeting. A 4—2—3—1 with Tolu Arokodare in attack is expected for Wolves.
Newly promoted Leeds have had a better start to the season, one that leaves them in 16th place with four points, though they remain winless in the last three Premier League games [WLDL]. Meanwhile, the Whites have won each of the last three encounters against the Wanderers, their best run against the home side since the early 1970s under Don Revie. Another win here would see them record four consecutive top-flight victories over Wanderers for the first time in over half a century. For Leeds, it is an opportunity to continue a dominant run against the Wanderers as they hope to pile further misery on Vítor Pereira’s stumbling side. An attacking trio composed of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gnoto and Daniel James may be seen when Daniel Farke deploys the 4—3—3 set-up.