Verdict: Wolves to Win to Nil
Best Odds: 7/4
Bookmaker: Bet365
Premier League hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers host Championship bound Swansea City at Molineux in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. The clash comes at a very bad time for Swans who sit rock-bottom in Premier League standings.
Wolves
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side did well to extend their lead at the top of the Championship table with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday. Ruben Neves, Barry Douglas and Diogo Jota put their names on the scoresheet to extend Wolves’ unbeaten stretch to 12 successive matches.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a fantastic season in the Championship and look like a sure deal to earn a direct promotion to England’s top tier. After 26 games this season, the Wolves are leading the pack with 61 points to their name, 12 ahead of second-placed Derby. Nuno Espirito Santo is doing a fantastic job with his talent-packed squad led by the likes of Leo Bonatini and Portuguese trio – Diogo Jota, Ivan Cavaleiro and Ruben Neves. Wolves have high hopes for the current season and appear to be ready to strengthen their ambitions by landing a high-profile name this January to help them mount the Premier League challenge. The latest reports claim that Wolves are in for Robbie Keane who is looking for a return to England following a stint in India. The forthcoming clash against Swansea will be a great opportunity for Wolves to once again measure up against a Premier League side following their goalless draw against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup (and a subsequent penalty loss) and a win over Southampton in an earlier round of the same competition.
Team News
Valencia youngster Rafa Mir acquired just this week comes into contention for the forthcoming match and could be given a run in.
Danny Bath returns following his one-match suspension and will be available for selection.
Swansea City
Sitting rock-bottom in the Premier League with only 16 points on their tally after 22 games, Swansea City will have other things on their mind than FA Cup at the moment. The third round of this competition comes as an undesirable diversion but could also prove to be a good opportunity for new boss Carlos Carvalhal to turn things around.
It will be easier said than done knowing that Swansea won only two of their last 15 matches. Their on-the-road form has been equally distressing with Swans losing seven of their last ten away games. Swansea did manage to end a winless run with a vital win at Watford in their last match of 2017 but that proved to be a flash in the pan given that Swans got beaten just days later at the hands of Tottenham. New manager Carlos Carvalhal has a mountain to climb this year in order to save his team from relegation. What he first needs to do, however, is to sort out the terrible defending and somehow sharpen the cutting edge upfront knowing that Swans only scored 13 goals in Premier League’s 22 matches this season.
Team News
Wilfried Bony has recovered from a hamstring injury and will be at disposal for the Wolves test. Kyle Naughton is suspended, whereas Angel Rangel is suffering from an injury.
In the meantime, Sung-Yueng Ki, Leon Britton and Tammy Abraham are all fitness doubts for the Saturday’s fixture.
Key Factors to Consider
- Wolves are unbeaten in last 12 matches across all competitions
- Wolverhampton lost only one home game this entire season
- Wolves managed to keep a clean sheet in last three matches at Molineux
- Swansea lost 7 of their last 10 matches on the road
- Swans only managed to score 13 goals in 22 Premier League matches this term
Conclusion
Wolverhampton Wanderers look like a proper Premier League side this season and head into the third round of the FA Cup as firm favourites to beat struggling Swansea. Nuno Espirito Santo boasts a quality side capable of beating even a more quality side than Swans and we fully expect to see the home side progress into the next round of the competition – and without conceding.
Verdict: Wolves to Win to Nil
Best Odds: 7/4
Bookmaker: Bet365
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