In the penultimate round of Premier League fixtures, 14th-placed Wolves will hit the road to face 12th-placed Crystal Palace, who recently celebrated their first major silverware after defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
The home team have accumulated 49 points in their 36 outings. While it hasn’t been the best of seasons for Oliver Glasner’s team, the FA Cup win over City certainly does help.
The Eagles are unbeaten in their last four league outings but have only managed one win during that run. After securing a 2-0 victory over Tottenham, they went on to defeat Pep Guardiola’s side. Given their recent form, Palace will certainly pose a serious threat to Wolves.
The visitors are 14th with 41 points in their 36 outings. While they are safe from the drop, it has certainly been a very disappointing season for them as they often tend to push for a European spot.
While they’ve lost both of their league games in May, Wolves were in impressive form from mid-March to the end of April, winning six consecutive league fixtures during that period. However, they now head into this clash on the back of defeats to Manchester City and Brighton.
The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Cheick Doucoure is out injured, while Marc Guehi and Adam Wharton might not be fully fit to take part in this fixture.
Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta are both fit but they might be rested for this fixture.
Oliver Glasner could make a handful of changes to the XI that started in the FA Cup final a few days back but he is expected to stick to the 3-4-1-2 formation, where Dean Henderson will be in goal.
The back three will be made up of Jefferson Lerma, Chris Richards and Maxence Lacroix. The trio will look to keep things tight at the back and they will receive significant support from Nathaniel Clyne and Tyrick Mitchell, who will feature as the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Will Hughes will partner with Daichi Kamada. The duo will look to ensure they have the majority of the ball and are able to dictate the pace of the game.
Romain Esse and Ismaila Sarr will feature as the two attacking midfielders behind Edward Nketiah, who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Lerma; Clyne, Hughes, Kamada, Mitchell; Esse, Sarr; Nketia
The visitors will be without quite a few first-team stars. Enso Gonzalez, Hwang Hee-Chan, Leon Chiwome, Sasa Kalajdzic, Sam Johnstone and Yerson Mosquera are all unavailable.
Wolves will also line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, where Jose Sa will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Matt Doherty, Emmanuel Agbadou and Toti Gomes.
The trio will be eyeing a clean sheet and they will receive significant support from Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who are expected to feature as wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Joao Gomes will partner with Andre. The duo will look to ensure they have enough of the ball.
Matheus Cunha and Marshall Munetsi will feature as the two attacking midfielders. They will look to create chances for Goncalo Guedes, who should be leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sa; Doherty, Agbadou, T Gomes; Semedo, J Gomes, Andre, Nouri; Munetsi, Cunha; Guedes
Cunha has only gone from strength to strength since joining Wolves in the summer of 2023. He has been one of their standout performers and it has resulted in a lot of interest from across Europe.
In the ongoing campaign, the Brazilian forward has featured in a total of 31 league fixtures and he has contributed towards 21 goals (15 goals, 6 assists). While Wolves haven’t been at their best, the 25-year-old has certainly done his bit and he will be eager to add to his tally in what could be his penultimate fixture for the club.
Crystal Palace have found form at just the right time and will head into this fixture high on confidence following their historic FA Cup triumph. While Oliver Glasner might look to rotate a few key players, the Eagles have enough depth and momentum to carry them through.
The visitors, meanwhile, have struggled in recent weeks and arrive at Selhurst Park on the back of two consecutive defeats. Despite their strong run earlier in the year, Vítor Pereira’s men seem to have lost their edge, particularly on the road.
The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the Eagles.
