Wolves vs Brighton - Premier League: Team news, lineups & prediction
Wolverhampton Wanderers host Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon in a particularly wordy Premier League clash.
Despite the wildly contrasting circumstances which prompted their appointments, Steve Davis and Roberto De Zerbi have both collected one victory since they took charge of Wolves and Brighton respectively last month.
However, the Seagulls soar into Molineux on the back of a thoroughly cathartic 4-1 thumping of Graham Potter's Chelsea. Wolves have scored four league goals since August and are firmly ensconced in the relegation mire.
Here's everything you need to know about the meeting between this pair.
Where are Wolves vs Brighton playing?
- Location: Wolverhampton, England
- Stadium: Molineux
- Date: Saturday 5 November
- Kick-off Time: 15:00 GMT / 11:00 EST / 08:00 PST
- VAR: John Brooks
- Referee: Graham Scott
Wolves vs Brighton H2H Results (Last Five Games)
Wolves: 2 Wins
Brighton: 1 Win
Draws: 2
Current Form (Last Five Games)
Wolves: LWLLD
Brighton: LLDLW
Wolves team news
Diego Costa won't return to Premier League action until Boxing Day at the earliest after receiving a straight red card for head-butting Brentford's Ben Mee last weekend. Fellow strikers Raul Jimenez (hip) and Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) are also unavailable, though through injury rather than ill discipline.
Long-term absentees Pedro Neto and Chiquinho remain sidelined but centre-back Toti Gomes is 'on the road to being recovered' according to Davis.
Summer arrival Matheus Nunes is unlikely to feature after sustaining a shoulder injury against Brentford last weekend, robbing Wolves of his forward thrust from midfield.
Wolves predicted lineup vs Brighton
Wolves Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; B Traore, Neves, Moutinho; A Traore, Hwang, Podence.
Bench: Sarkic, Ait Nouri, Mosquera, Guedes, Castro, Hodge, Campbell, Gomes, Ronan.
Brighton team news
Doubts swirled over many of De Zerbi's squad before he deployed the XI which revelled in revenge over Potter last weekend. Captain Lewis Dunk passed a late fitness test but Joel Veltman (calf) and Danny Welbeck (illness) missed out. While the Dutch defender remains a doubt, Welbeck is expected to be available for the trip north.
Long-term absentee Jakub Moder is targeting a return in February.
Brighton predicted lineup vs Wolves
Brighton Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gross, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Caicedo, Mac Allister; March, Lallana, Mitoma; Trossard.
Bench: Steele, Lamptey, Sarmiento, Enciso, Undav, Gilmour, Turns, Welbeck, Moran.
Wolves vs Brighton score prediction
Brighton's running battle with expected goals (xG) has raged over recent seasons but Wolves currently find themselves on the wrong side of the underlying numbers, posting the worst goals to xG differential (scoring between six and seven goals fewer than expected) and conversion rate (3%).
Bruno Lage, sniping from the sidelines after his dismissal in October, insisted that Wolves 'cannot compete in the Premier League without a striker'. The Black Country outfit is set to host Brighton without a traditional frontman available and may well fail to match a team finding its feet under a new manager.
Prediction: Wolves 0-2 Brighton