On Saturday afternoon, Manchester United will aim to win their third consecutive Premier League match when they visit Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. Manchester United is currently ranked fifth in the league, one point behind Tottenham Hotspur, who is in fourth place and has one game in hand. Wolves, on the other hand, are in 18th place with 13 points from 16 matches in the 2022-23 season. Here is the Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United Kick-off Time, Preview, Prediction, Lineups & Standings.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United Kick-off
Match: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United Premier League
Date: Dec 31, 2022
Time: 12:30 PM UK
Venue: Molineux Stadium (Wolverhampton, West Midlands)
TV Channel: BT Sport (UK), USA Network (US)
Live Streaming: fuboTV
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United Preview
Julen Lopetegui has made a strong start as head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers, leading the team to victories in his first two matches, including a 2-0 win against Gillingham in the EFL Cup. In their most recent match, Wolves came from behind to defeat Everton 2-1 in the Premier League, moving them into 18th place in the table, just one point behind Everton. Lopetegui’s arrival as head coach seems to have given the team an edge, thanks to his experience managing teams such as Spain and Real Madrid.
Wolves have a busy start to January, with matches against Aston Villa in the Premier League, Liverpool in the FA Cup, and Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. Despite a challenging first half of the season, the win over Everton will have been a confidence boost for the team. In their last match against Manchester United, the Wolves also emerged victorious with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Man United enters this match after a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, with goals from Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Fred. The Red Devils also recorded a 2-0 win over Burnley to progress in the EFL Cup and put in a commanding performance against Forest to move within one point of fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur in the table, with one game in hand. Man United has won nine, drawn two, and lost four of their 15 league matches this season, collecting 29 points.
They have four straight home matches after this game, including Premier League matches against Bournemouth and Manchester City, and FA Cup and EFL Cup matches against Everton and Charlton Athletic. Man United has the fifth-best away record in the Premier League this season, with 13 points from eight matches, but have conceded 16 times in their travels during the 2022-23 campaign. Despite being the lowest scorers in the league, Wolves coach Julen Lopetegui will be confident in his team’s ability to unlock their attacking talent.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United News
Wolves will be without Chiquinho, Pedro Neto, and Sasa Kalajdzic due to injury, but Boubacar Toure and Jonny Castro are expected to be back in the squad. Podence is also available for the team, despite coming off with a leg injury in the previous match against Everton. Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes are also competing for a place in the starting lineup, but Diego Costa is likely to continue as the center forward, with Hwang Hee-chan playing on the right.
Man United will have doubts about the availability of Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay, who were both absent due to illness in the match against Forest. Diogo Dalot (hamstring) and Jadon Sancho (fitness) could also miss out. Lisandro Martinez has been training with the Red Devils since Wednesday and could start alongside Raphael Varane in defense. Luke Shaw, who played as a center back against Forest, is expected to move to left-back, while Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Christian Eriksen are likely to continue in midfield. There are unlikely to be any changes in the attack, with Antony joining Rashford and Martial, who both scored in the last match against Forest.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United Possible Lineup
Wolves (Possible XI): Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Hwang, Costa, Podence
Man United (Possible XI): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Fernandes, Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Martial, Rashford
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United Prediction
Julen Lopetegui has revitalized Wolverhampton Wanderers and the home team will have high hopes for a successful outcome in this match. However, Manchester United has put on impressive performances in their two matches after the World Cup and it is expected that they will come out on top in a closely contested game at Molineux. This victory would boost Manchester United’s chances of securing a spot in the top four.
Premier League Standings
| # | Team | Pts | P | W | D | L | GD | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | 69 | 28 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 40 |  |
2 |  | 61 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 42 |  |
3 |  | 50 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 6 |  |
4 |  | 49 | 28 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 12 | |
5 |  | 47 | 26 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 20 | |
6 |  | 42 | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 18 | |
7 |  | 42 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 15 | |
8 |  | 42 | 27 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 9 | |
9 |  | 39 | 27 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 1 | |
10 |  | 38 | 27 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 1 | |
11 |  | 38 | 27 | 11 | 5 | 11 | -4 | |
12 |  | 27 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 13 | -16 | |
13 |  | 27 | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | -19 | |
14 |  | 26 | 27 | 6 | 8 | 13 | -9 | |
15 |  | 26 | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | -18 | |
16 |  | 26 | 27 | 6 | 8 | 13 | -27 | |
17 |  | 25 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 16 | -9 | |
18 |  | 24 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | -10 | |
19 |  | 24 | 27 | 6 | 6 | 15 | -29 | |
20 |  | 23 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 17 | -23 | |
