Cunha and Wolves looking up the table after back-to-back wins

Matheus Cunha says Wolves can start to look up the Premier League table after back-to-back wins, as Gary O’Neil’s team bid to continue their revival against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Wolves were rooted to the bottom of the table and winless after 10 matches, but victories over Southampton (2-0) and Fulham (4-1) have lifted them out of the relegation zone.

Cunha has been the key to their resurgence, providing seven goals and three assists this season with seven of those involvements coming in their last four matches.

Since his Premier League debut in January 2023, Cunha has both scored more goals (21) and provided more assists (10) than any other Wolves player. His 31 goal involvements are the second-most of any Wolves player in the competition’s history, behind Raul Jimenez (58).

Speculation had begun to mount around O’Neil’s position before Wolves’ turnaround, but Cunha says the squad are united in their aims after regaining their confidence.

“We never had a doubt about this,” Cunha said of O’Neil’s position. “He did a lot of good things for us last season, and then we started to build an unbelievable relationship.

“But, of course, football is like life, everyone knows that it’s the results that matter in the end.

“But the work that you show is as important for me, for the group and for everyone. We are very happy with him and we are very happy with the results. I hope now we can start to fight for the things we want.”

O’Neil’s former club Bournemouth are six points clear of Wolves in 13th, having lost successive games after enjoying a strong start to the campaign.

Their latest defeat came against 10-man Brighton and Hove Albion at the Vitality Stadium, where a fifth yellow card of the season for star winger Antoine Semenyo ruled him out of Saturday’s trip to Molineux through suspension.

“Every team has injuries, has suspensions,” head coach Andoni Iraola said of Semenyo’s suspension after the Brighton game. “We will miss now Ant, that is also a big miss.

“I don’t know if everyone has finished healthy or not. We’ll see, but we will have to adapt, I think for sure every team is adapting.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wolves – Matheus Cunha

There is no doubt about Wolves’ star man this campaign. As well as boasting more Premier League goal involvements than any other player outside the ‘big six’ clubs (10), Cunha has been involved in more attacking sequences (56) than any other Wolves player.

Cunha has been involved in half of Wolves’ Premier League goals this term (10/20).

Only Mohamed Salah (66%), Dwight McNeil (60%), Bukayo Saka (57%), Erling Haaland (54%), Liam Delap, Chris Wood (both 53%) and Cole Palmer (52%) have been involved in a higher share of their team’s goals.

Bournemouth – Milos Kerkez

In the absence of Semenyo, Bournemouth will have to rely on creativity from elsewhere, and left-back Kerkez is capable of providing it at a ground where he was sent off last season.

Kerkez ranks fifth among all Premier League defenders for open-play crosses (30) this season, with only nine defenders bettering his 12 open-play chances created.

MATCH PREDICTION – WOLVES WIN

Having won four consecutive Premier League away games in November and December last season, Bournemouth have won just three of their last 16 on the road (four draws, nine losses).

One of these was against Wolves in April, but O’Neil may just be confident of getting one over on his former employers on Saturday.

Wolves have won their last two Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 22 combined (five draws, 15 defeats). They last won three in a row last December.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, are yet to win a Premier League match against a team that did not start the day in the relegation zone (Everton and Southampton) or the top four (Arsenal and Manchester City) in 2024-25.

Neutrals should expect entertainment whatever the result. Wolves’ 12 Premier League games this term have featured 48 goals, more than any other side.

Their 20 goals scored are their most 12 games into a top-flight campaign since 1972-73 (25), while their 28 conceded are their most at this stage since 1983-84 (31).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Wolves – 39.1%

Bournemouth – 34.3%

Draw – 26.6%