Having seen off Black Country rivals West Brom in the last round, Wolves face a stern test as they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the 5th Round of the FA Cup at Molineux on Wednesday night, which manager Gary O’Neil has described as a “defining” matchup. This is the Wolves predicted lineup.
Unchanged XI: Wolves Predicted Lineup vs Brighton
A cup clash against Brighton. COYW ✊ pic.twitter.com/MYWTfg5I0t
— Wolves (@Wolves) February 28, 2024
How Wolves Have Lined-up Recently
The manager is not one for chopping and changing his line-ups, having found something approaching a winning formula. The side typically start with three centre-halves: Max Kilman, Toti Gomes, and Craig Dawson, all of whom have acquitted themselves reasonably well in recent weeks. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo have occupied fullback positions, bombing up the pitch to create width during attacks.
Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina are firmly established as the holding midfield pair, although Tommy Doyle frequently gets minutes off the bench when the West Midlands side need to take a more expansive approach. They can rely on his slick passing and intelligent movement to unlock dogged defences.
Read More: Fabrizio Romano Believes Arsenal’s £50M Target Is a ‘Perfect Fit’
Pablo Sarabia has installed himself as the first choice in the advanced playmaker role behind the strikers, following his sumptuous winning header against Sheffield United on Sunday in the Premier League. We can expect Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to get minutes off the bench, but the Frenchman has had limited opportunities in midfield, instead being shoehorned into a false nine spot due to injuries.
Pedro Neto is a guaranteed starter in the lineup when fit: his incredible pace, tenacity and skill is catching the eye of many top clubs. Similarly, Hee-Chan Hwang is a shoo-in to start, in the absence of any other senior forwards, considering his impressive 11-goal haul this season. His return from the Asian Cup with South Korea has given O’Neil’s side a lot more balance up top.
Given the advanced stage of the competition, it is very likely that we will see a full-strength side, unchanged from their last league outing.
Watch: How Fabrizio Romano Broke Football News Forever
Wolves Recent Form and Tactics
Home losses to Brentford and Manchester United earlier in the month mar an otherwise excellent run of form for The Wanderers, who moved up to 8th place, knocking on the doors of Europe, with their win against Sheffield United.
There is a lot of positivity around Molineux and a genuine belief that O’Neil could deliver continental football to Wolverhampton again, but that is tempered against an understanding that the squad is small. A few injuries could seriously derail the season.
They have secured some big wins against top sides by relying on their outstanding counter-attacking ability, leaning heavily on the explosive pace of Neto and the calm finishing of Hwang, supported by the destructive midfield of Lemina and Gomes. However, Sheffield United proved a very different test, and Wolves were lucky to take all three points after putting in a sluggish, uncertain display.
Read More: Wolves’ Enormous Target Man Suffers Third ACL Injury in Five Years
For all of their ability to rally, score late goals, and overcome the odds, the showing against The Blades indicated that this Wolves side is vulnerable to nerves.
Speaking to the Express & Star pre-match, the manager said: “Obviously any cup match is defining as you’re either in or out after it, but it’s a tough game. Brighton are a very good side.” The Molineux faithful will hope that the pressure of the occasion will not get to the players.
Wolves Injuries and Absences
Somewhat uncharacteristically for the West Midlands side, almost every player is available in their admittedly small squad. Hwang did go down in the warm-up to the Sheffield United match but managed almost 90 minutes and there are no reports of a niggling injury.
The only conspicuous absence from the lineup is that of Matheus Cunha, who is out for a considerable amount of time with a hamstring injury. O’Neil has expressed hopes that the Brazilian striker will be available after the international break in March, but that is heavily caveated with the uncertainty of his recovery process.
Wolves Predicted Lineup
Jose Sa – GK
Rayan Ait-Nouri – LWB
Toti Gomes – CB
Max Kilman – CB
Craig Dawson – CB
Nelson Semedo – RWB
Mario Lemina – CM
Joao Gomes – CM
Pablo Sarabia – CAM
Pedro Neto – FW
Hee-Chan Hwang – FW
