Prediction: Wolves vs Burnley

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 8/11

Bookmaker: Bet365

Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to welcome Burnley to the Molineux on Sunday afternoon, in what will be one of the closing matches of the third round of the 2019/20 Premier League season.

Wolves

Having arguably presented the greatest positive surprise of the English top flight last season and earning a place in the Europa League qualifications, Wolves are undefeated in the opening two rounds of this season. They drew both, away to Leicester City and at home against Manchester United.

Given the current form of those two opponents, those results don’t tell much, it has to be said. But what cannot be doubted is that boss Nuno Espirito Santo has put together a very good, very formidable team, capable of giving any opponent a fair game. The fact that they enter this game in 18th place speaks even less than the results of the previous games.

Team News

Espirito Santo is expected to reshuffle his team back after their Europa League exploits on Thursday. Meanwhile, the only player potentially unavailable for selection is wing-back Matt Doherty, who was subbed off against United last week and missed the win over Torino on Thursday through illness.

Burnley

Once a big surprise in the Premier League themselves, it cannot be said of Burnley anymore. They caused quite a few upsets too over the last several seasons with their extremely physical approach to the game, playing in a style as close to the classic English one as teams today possibly can at this level. Last season wasn’t so good for them, as they finished only six points above the relegation zone.

Their season started with an emphatic win over Southampton at home, before they succumbed to Arsenal at the Emirates. However, that was a very hard-fought victory for the Gunners, which is a true testament to what awaits any team facing Sean Dyche’s side.

Team News

Midfielder Danny Drinkwater, though he played 45 minutes for the U-23 side recently to build up his fitness, still isn’t ready to feature. Winger Robert Brady and midfielder Steven Defour remain sidelined as well.

Conclusion

In short, it’s time for the Wolves to start winning. They’ve demonstrated considerable quality and achieved a great result by winning 2-3 in Torino, and they’ll want to build on that domestically, especially in the light of the fact that they haven’t won a league game yet. To be fair, their only home outing so far came against Manchester United, so they can be forgiven. Nonetheless, Burnley at the Molineux are a good opportunity for them to nail three points on the board, one that they will give their best not to miss.

It would be a great way to build on everything they’ve done since they earned promotion to the Premier League last year, and to gain an advantage in confidence over their next league opponents Everton, who suffered a defeat at the hands of the newly promoted Aston Villa this week.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 8/11

Bookmaker: Bet365