Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur
The famous old Molineux stadium welcomes back fans on Sunday, and there will be a familiar face in the opposition dugout, when Premier League: Wolves vs Spurs is the entertainment on offer at the Black Country ground.
Recently departed Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo returns to the club he took to the Premier League, with his new team Spurs, who arrive on the back of a stunning opening day victory over champions Manchester City. Wolves, on the other hand, toiled in a Midlands derby and came out on the losing side to Leicester. The Spurs bubble burst when their second string lost in the Europa League on Thursday night but with most of his best players available again, the Wolves vs Spurs betting odds say it could well be a happy homecoming for Nuno.
Talking Points
Wolves need to settle quickly
The hosts come into the game on a run of four consecutive defeats and, after this huge game against Spurs they meet in-form Manchester United, who announced their campaign intentions with a 5-1 destruction of Leeds.
New boss Bruno Lage’s job at Wolves has been made more difficult by the loss of his excellent goalkeeper Rui Patricio to Roma, and his reign at Wolves boss started with a 1-0 defeat away to Leicester as evergreen striker Jamie Vardy gave the Foxes all three points. Wolves had plenty of chances in the game, 15 shots to Leicester’s eight, though Leicester were far more accurate in their shooting with seven shots on target to three. Striker Raul Jimenez is back after missing most of last season with a fractured skull, but it remains to be seen whether he has retained his edge after such a horrific injury. And Lage will hope to see speedy winger Adama Traore, who squandered Wolves’ two best chances against the Foxes, start to turn his undoubted potential into results.
Skipper Conor Coady had a difficult day as Vardy got in behind him to convert Ricardo Pereira’s cross for the only goal of the game. Then he thought he’d levelled with a cool finish, but he was denied by a marginal offside call. There was enough in the game to give Wolves encouragement, but they need a result sooner rather than later to settle any nerves.
Spurs can rely on Son
The pre-match Wolves vs Spurs news has been dominated by two off-field stories, firstly the return of Nuno to Wolves and then the long running saga over the future of Harry Kane. The England captain was due to return to training with Spurs on Friday, but there is yet to be any confirmation that he will take any part in the game with Wolves.
Nuno’s side lost 1-0 in their Europa League conference opener away to Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday night. He made 11 changes from the side which beat Manchester City, but the second string failed to register a single shot on target and Kane didn’t even travel, despite being named in the squad. Summer defensive recruit Cristian Romero was too easily beaten by goal scorer Lucas Silva and Nuno was forced to defend his newcomers, Romero, winger Bryan Gil and keeper Pierluigi Gollini: “Nobody likes to lose. Nobody likes to not play good. The feel good factor disappeared. The players have to bounce back.”
Spurs’ European journey will be over next Thursday if they fail to win the return but in the meantime Nuno is preparing his first team for the trip to Wolves. And, in the absence of his skipper he will be delighted by the way his main striker Heung-Min Son responded with a composed finish to beat the Sky Blues.
At the other end of the pitch Hugol Lloris pulled off a brilliant save to deny Kevin de Bruyne and his presence is always a calming influence.
History
Spurs have had the better of their 14 encounters with Wolves; winning seven of the meetings in the Premier League era, while there have been three draws and four wins for Wolves.
Last season the Whites won 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May thanks to a goal in each half from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojberg, while the two teams drew 1-1 at Molineux.
Wolves’ last home win against Spurs was in 2010, and I suspect the wait will go on for their loyal fans.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur | 1X2 Tottenham Hotspur @ 2.28 |
| August 22, 21:00 (GMT+8) |
At SBOTOP odds of 3.16 to win and 2.92 to draw, Wolves are in with a decent chance of getting a result in their first home game of the season and the double chance at 1.53 will leave their fans expecting something.
But, even with Jimenez back in action, they struggle to score goals and a second 1-0 win for Spurs, at 5.99, would be no surprise.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
