MY ACCOUNT
– Both teams have not scored in six of Wolves’ last nine games
– Both teams have not scored in seven of Spurs’ last eight matches
– Both teams have not scored in four of the last five head-to-head meetings
– Recommended Bet: Back Both teams to score – No
Tottenham will want to put their midweek FA Cup exit behind them when they travel to Molineux on Saturday to face a Wolves side with no win in their last three Premier League matches.
Some of the lustre has come off the Old Gold revival Julen Lopetegui started when he oversaw a run of four wins from his first seven Premier League games in charge.
Defeats to Liverpool and Bournemouth either side of a draw at Fulham mean the Spaniard’s side remain within three points of the drop zone going into this weekend’s matches.
Spurs, meanwhile, boosted their prospects of another top-four finish with a solid home win over Chelsea last Sunday before seeing their Wembley dreams dashed by Sheffield United on Wednesday night.
Cristian Stellini, standing in for Antonio Conte again, apologised to the fans for the performance while insisting it was the right call to start with club record goalscorer Harry Kane on the bench.
Team news
Left-back Hugo Bueno sustained a hamstring injury at Anfield and has joined Chiquinho (knee) and Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) on Wolves’ injury list.
Rayan Ait-Nouri is primed to take over again at left-back with few other changes expected from Lopetegui, who should have Matheus Cunha at his disposal once more.
The Brazilian striker, who has not scored since his January switch from Atletico Madrid, was stretchered off in last week’s 1-1 draw at Fulham, but the injury was not serious and he almost made the bench against Liverpool.
Lopetegui believes winger Pedro Neto, who has been an unused substitute twice in recent weeks, is now ready to return to first-team action, but this game looks like coming too soon for Hwang Hee-chan (hamstring) and Boubacar Traore (groin) to make their comebacks.
For Spurs, Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Hugo Lloris (knee) and Yves Bissouma (ankle) all remain on the medium-to-long-term injury list
Emerson Royal is expected to shake off the knock that kept him out of the midweek cup defeat at Bramall Lane.
The stats
The last Wolves player to score a Premier League goal while playing in the central striker’s position was Raul Jimenez against Watford in March 2022.
The lack of goal threat Wolves have been getting from their forwards in 2022-23 is further illustrated by the fact that the three used so far in 2023 (Jimenez, Cunha and Diego Costa) have been responsible for just one goal-creating action across the eight league games played.
Spurs have kept clean sheets in four of their past five Premier League games, laying the foundations for four victories.
The Lilywhites are looking to record three consecutive shutouts for the first time since their final three games of the 2021-22 season.
Tottenham won 1-0 on their last league visit to Molineux in August 2021 when their winning goal was scored by Dele Alli from the penalty spot.
It turned out to be the former England midfielder’s final Premier League strike for the club.
In fact, of all the fixtures to have been played at least 15 times in Premier League history, only Leicester against Manchester City (57%) has been won by the away side a higher share of the time than Wolves against Spurs (53% — nine away wins in 17 meetings).
Prediction
Spurs will be smarting from their cup exit, but the performance levels were simply not there in Sheffield.
A greater intensity will be required when they face a Wolves team that have fed off the fervour of the home fans to win two of their last three games at Molineux.
This could be really tough for Tottenham if they show any signs of fatigue from making back-to-back trips north in the space of a few days.
Wolves lack the attacking potency to really punish the visitors, however, with none of the forwards Lopetegui has at his disposal currently making strong enough claims to be part of the manager’s long-term plans.
The first goal in this clash, if there is one, could be crucial in deciding the destination of the points, as has usually been the case in recent clashes between the clubs.
Back Both Teams to Score – No – at evens with LiveScore Bet.
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