Manchester United vs. Wolves

February 1, 2024

Wolves take on Manchester United at the Molineux in the Premier League on Thursday night.

The Red Devils claimed a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in their last meeting with Wolves on the opening day of the campaign. It was a rather controversial game as Gary O'Neil's side performed better, just a couple of days following Julen Lopetegui's decision to leave the West Midlands outfit, and were denied a late penalty after Andre Onana's clumsy challenge.

Manchester United have won their last three visits to the Molineux Stadium, while Wolves will be bidding to claim their first home victory over the Red Devils since April 2019.

All in all, United have won six of their last seven matches against Wolves in the Premier League and have only lost once in their last 11 meetings against them across all competitions (7-3-1).

Only three points separate both sides in the league table, with United currently 9^th on 32 points and Wolves 11^th on 29 points.

Wolves Betting Preview (+165 at Everygame)

Unbeaten in seven games in all competitions - since a 3-0 loss at West Ham United in mid-December - Wolves are now aiming to extend their solid form.

Gary O'Neil's side will be inspired by their 2-0 victory in the Black Country Derby on Sunday, when they beat bitter rivals West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in the FA Cup fourth-round.

It was something more than a derby win, though. It was Wolves' first win at The Hawthorns since 1996, their first Black Country Derby success since 2011 as well as their first FA Cup tie victory over West Brom since 1949.

Gary O'Neil made his debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford in August, when his side had a penalty appeal turned down in stoppage time and it was a wrong call.

However, Wolves became the first team in the new Premier League campaign to beat defending champions Manchester City in September, when O'Neil became only the second English manager to see his team beat the Cityzens in the Pep Guardiola era.

Meanwhile, Wolves played out a goalless draw against Brighton at the Amex Stadium in their last Premier League match 10 days ago, thus extending their unbeaten streak in the competition to four matches (3-1-0).

Wolves, however, remain without their top scorer Hee-chan Hwang, who boasts 10 goals and three assists in 20 league appearances this term. The South Korean international is away on international duty at the Asian Cup.

Pablo Sarabia remains doubtful with a calf injury and will be assessed ahead of the game, but Algeria left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri is available for selection following his country's early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Malian midfielder Boubacar Traore also represents his country at the AFCON, while midfielder Joao Gomes is suspended.

The Wolves boss is unlikely to make wholesale changes, if any, to the side that beat The Baggies last weekend, so Manchester City loanee Tommy Doyle is set to keep his starting spot alongside Mario Lemina in central midfield, while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde joins Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha up front.

Manchester United Betting Preview (+160 at Everygame)

Having won just one of their last six Premier League games, Manchester United are bidding to turn their season around when they travel to West Midlands in midweek.

Erik ten Hag's side remain 11 points off the top-four, but they still have a game in hand following Aston Villa's home loss to Newcastle on Tuesday night and Tottenham's home win over Bournemouth on Wednesday.

The Red Devils returned to winning ways with a 4-2 victory at League Two side Newport County in the FA Cup fourth-round proper last weekend. Erik ten Hag's side also overcame League One side Wigan Athletic in the same competition earlier in January, and will now travel to either Bristol City or Nottingham Forest in the fifth round.

Manchesster United attempt to climb from eighth place in the Premier League table towards the European spots. Another victory at the Molineux could move them level on points with West Ham United in sixth place.

Amidst dealing with Marcus Rashford's off-field "disciplinary matter", Erik ten Hag doesn't have a plenty of time to find the right formula to get the best out of his squad in order to build a much-needed run of positive results. It remains to be seen whether the England attacker will be included in the matchday squad for United’s upcoming match at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Raphael Varane, who scored the winner against Wolves in the reverse fixture, should start alongside Lisandro Martinez at centre-back. The Argentine made his first start for United after a long injury layoff and Ten Hag should base his tactics on a solid defensive foundation.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a doubt for United, while Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Sofyan Amrabat and Anthony Martial all remain unavailable for selection.

Elsewhere, Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir made his Manchester United debut in goal against Newport County - becoming the first Turkish player to feature for the English giants. However, Bayindir is set to be replaced by first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana, who should be ready to return following a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Cameroon.

Possible Starting Lineups of Wolves and Manchester United

Wolves: Jose Sa - Max Kilman, Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes - Nelson Semedo, Tommy Doyle, Mario Lemina, Rayan Aït-Nouri - Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Matheus Cunha, Pedro Neto. (4-3-3)

Manchester United: Andre Onana - Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw - Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro - Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho - Rasmus Hojlund. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

Erik ten Hag's side enter Thursday's clash with Wolves having lost three of their last four top-flight away games, scoring just one goal in the process - Marcus Rashford's strike in a 2-1 loss at Nottingham Forest on 30 December.

With that said, the trip to Wolverhampton will be Manchester United's first Premier League away game of the calendar year and first league game since the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in mid-January.

Wolves, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last nine home matches - since a 3-1 loss to Liverpool in mid-Septemer - as they managed to beat the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea over the period and also avoided defeats against Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

We can easily conclude that Gary O'Neil's men have turned up for the big occasions this season. They boast an impressive home record, but Manchester United have a knack of grinding out positive results against the Wolves in the past couple of years.

Spooky Express Free Play: Over 2.5 Goals -125 at Everygame for 6/10 Units

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