Newcastle United make the trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers looking to extend their unbeaten start in the Premier League to four matches.
Meanwhile, Wolves head into Sunday's fixture occupying a place in the relegation zone, a consequence of just one point and one goal coming from their opening triple header.
Match preview
© Reuters
Wolves have gone from one extreme to another in the transfer market this summer, their supporters being left frustrated with a prolonged quiet spell before being wowed by additions initially thought to be out of their reach.
Nevertheless, despite the arrivals of the likes of Goncalo Guedes and Matheus Nunes, head coach Bruno Lage is aware that his side need to start to deliver on the pitch to live up to their potential.
That was on show against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend as they controlled the opening 45 minutes, but a lack of ruthlessness allowed Spurs to prevail by the solitary goal in the second half.
While Wolves showed glimpses of improvement in defeating Preston North End in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, similar issues arose as they failed to remain in control with a two-goal lead.
On the plus side, Lage had Raul Jimenez back at his disposal, and the likelihood of another frontman arriving to compete with the Mexican will give fans hope that they can start turning performances into results.
© Reuters
Newcastle are already at that stage under Eddie Howe, even if there was a level of frustration in blowing a 3-1 lead against Manchester City to end up being relieved to claim a point.
Putting everything into perspective, Howe and his squad will appreciate that it remains a point gained in the grand scheme of things, keeping the club in the top six ahead of trips to Wolves and Liverpool.
With Alexander Isak arriving from Real Sociedad, the Magpies continue to make a statement in the transfer market, but it will be intriguing to see where the Swede fits in when leading forward Callum Wilson is fit.
Howe watched his team extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to four games courtesy of edging out Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.
Although lifting a domestic cup would be welcomed by their fanbase, they will recognise that there is an opening to break into the top six this season, particularly if they can collect maximum points from fixtures such as the one at the weekend.
- L
- D
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- D
- W
- D
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Newcastle will be without Wilson after the forward was ruled out for up to two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Chris Wood should get the nod in attack, even if Isak is eligible to feature, while Dan Burn is back in contention after being kicked in the face with the ball last weekend.
However, Matt Targett is also an option at left-back, and that appears to be the solitary major decision that Howe has to make ahead of this game.
From Wolves' perspective, Jimenez could be handed his first Premier League start of the season after proving his fitness against Preston.
Daniel Podence could drop out of the team, but that may to be the only alteration from the team which lost to Spurs with Nelson Semedo and Adama Traore expected to be kept in reserve.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Jonny, Collins, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Neto, Jimenez, Guedes
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Willock, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wood, Saint-Maximin
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Newcastle United
With Wolves boosted by their new signings, optimism will be high that they can deliver a positive result in front of their own supporters. However, Newcastle feel like they are on a roll right now, and we expect the Magpies to edge this contest by the odd goal in three.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.