Manchester United will be bidding to make it three Premier League victories in a row when they travel to Molineux on Saturday afternoon to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Red Devils are currently fifth in the table, one point behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, with a game in hand on the capital club, while Wolves sit 18th, boasting 13 points from 16 matches in 2022-23.
Match preview
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Julen Lopetegui's reign as Wolves head coach has got off to a strong start, with the Spaniard overseeing wins from his two matches at the helm, including the 2-0 success over Gillingham in the EFL Cup on December 20.
Wolves were then 2-1 winners over Everton in the Premier League on Boxing Day, with the strugglers coming from behind to triumph at Goodison Park; Daniel Podence levelled the scores in the 22nd minute after Yerry Mina had made the breakthrough, before Rayan Ait-Nouri came up with the winner in the 95th minute.
The result moved the 2017-18 Championship winners into 18th spot in the table, now just one point behind 17th-placed Everton, and Lopetegui's arrival as head coach appears to have given the team an edge, with the 56-year-old managing the likes of Spain and Real Madrid during his career thus far.
Wolves have a busy start to January, as they will face Aston Villa in the Premier League on January 4 before taking on Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup and EFL Cup respectively.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough first half of the campaign for the club, but the win over Everton would have been a huge confidence-booster at a key stage of the season.
Wolves were also victorious in their last match with Man United back in January, running out 1-0 winners at Old Trafford courtesy of an 82nd-minute effort from Joao Moutinho.
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Man United, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday night, with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred on the scoresheet.
The Red Devils were back in action after the World Cup on December 21, recording a 2-0 win over Burnley to progress in the EFL Cup, while they put in a commanding performance against Forest to move to within one point of fourth-placed Spurs in the table, with a game in hand on Antonio Conte's side.
Erik ten Hag's side have now won nine, drawn two and lost four of their 15 league matches this season to collect 29 points, and there have been plenty of positive signs following a poor start to the campaign.
Man United actually have four straight home matches after this game, facing Bournemouth and Manchester City at Old Trafford in the Premier League, in addition to Everton and Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup and EFL Cup respectively.
The Red Devils have the fifth-best away record in the Premier League this season, picking up 13 points from eight matches, but they have conceded 16 times in their travels during the 2022-23 campaign.
Wolves are still the lowest scorers in the league despite registering twice against Everton, but Lopetegui will be confident that he can unlock the attacking talent that undoubtedly exists at Molineux.
Team News
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Wolves will again be missing Chiquinho, Pedro Neto and Sasa Kalajdzic through injury, but Boubacar Toure and Jonny Castro are both set to be back in the squad.
Podence is also available for the hosts despite coming off against Everton with a leg problem.
Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes are also battling to be included in the first XI, but Diego Costa should again keep out Raul Jimenez at centre-forward, with Hwang Hee-chan playing off the right for Lopetegui's side.
Man United were missing Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay against Forest through illness, so the pair remain doubts here, while Diogo Dalot (hamstring) and Jadon Sancho (fitness) could again miss out.
Lisandro Martinez has been back training with the Red Devils since Wednesday following his exertions at the World Cup, and it would not be a shock to see him start alongside Raphael Varane in the middle of the defence.
Luke Shaw played as a centre-back against Forest but should move across to left-back here, while Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are expected to continue in midfield.
There are also unlikely to be any changes in the attack, with Antony set to continue alongside Rashford and Martial, who were both on the scoresheet against Forest last time out.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Hwang, Costa, Podence
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Fernandes, Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Martial, Rashford
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Manchester United
Lopetegui has brought a feel-good factor back to Wolves, and the home side will be confident of picking up a strong result in this match. Man United have been impressive in their two matches after the World Cup, though, and we are expecting the Red Devils to edge a close game at Molineux to boost their top-four hopes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
