Preview: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Brentford - prediction, team news, lineups

Julen Lopetegui's side stunned Chelsea in a 1-0 triumph last time out, while the Bees could not hang onto a one-goal lead against Newcastle United, falling to a 2-1 defeat.

Match preview

Scoring a goal worthy of Frank Lampard's approval, Wolves' marquee midfield signing Matheus Nunes has found consistency hard to come by at Molineux, but the Portugal international's rocket was enough to spoil Lampard's Chelsea homecoming.

With just over half an hour gone last Saturday, Nunes arrived in the right-hand side of the area and unleashed a thunderbolt of a half-volley across Kepa Arrizabalaga's goal and into the back of the net, and a toothless Chelsea side could not come up with the required response.

By returning to winning ways after a dismal three-game victory-less run, Lopetegui's side have opened up a four-point gap to the relegation zone in 13th place, but Wolves are not out of the woods yet as the chasing pack aim to close the gap in the coming weeks.

Since returning to domestic duties after the World Cup, Wolves have followed a specific pattern of results at Molineux - winning one then losing one across all tournaments - and such a streak is not a good omen for this weekend after their success over Chelsea.

However, all of West Ham United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been sent back to London with no points from their trips to Molineux in 2023, and each of Wolves' last eight home wins have been to nil, so the Bees would do well to bring their most potent sting to the West Midlands.

If at first you do not succeed, win another penalty and try again, and that was the mantra for Thomas Frank and Ivan Toney, who missed a spot kick for the first time in his Bees career during the visit of Newcastle before rectifying his dead-ball mistake later on.

Toney's first 12-yard effort was comfortably kept out by Nick Pope before the England striker redeemed himself with a clinical penalty into the corner, but fluffing his lines earlier proved costly, as a David Raya own goal preceded Alexander Isak's fine winner as Eddie Howe's side came from behind to take all the spoils - marking the first time in Brentford's short-lived Premier League career that they have lost after taking the lead.

Defeat to the Champions League-chasing Magpies marked Brentford's second Premier League loss on the bounce, as well as extending their winless run in the top tier to four games - denting their European dreams as they lie ninth in the rankings - three points worse off than seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who have two games in hand.

With just one clean sheet from their last nine outings in the Premier League, it is easy to pinpoint where the Bees' recent frailties lie, and they travel to Molineux with just three Premier League away wins to their name all season - prevailing in just one of their last six on the road.

From their three Premier League encounters so far, the points between Wolves and Brentford have been distributed equally - one win for each team last term and a 1-1 draw earlier this season - but the Bees have just one win from their last seven league contests with their West Midlands adversaries.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

L

W

L

L

D

W

Brentford Premier League form:

L

W

D

D

L

L

Team News

An afternoon that began with delight ended in despair for Wolves midfielder Nunes, who limped off in the dying embers with a "very strong" knock, but footage after the game showed the Portuguese appearing to walk unaided as normal.

Lopetegui remains without the suspended pair of Ruben Neves and Jonny Castro, while Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho remain on the mend from long-term knee injuries, and Boubacar Traore will need a once-over as he bids to recover from a groin concern.

Should Nunes shake off his concern to make himself available, Lopetegui ought to see no need to make any alterations to the side that nullified Chelsea, but Adama Traore, Joao Moutinho and Pablo Sarabia will fight to cover for Nunes if needed.

Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri were both left out of the Wolves squad last weekend, but Lopetegui confirmed after the game that their absences were purely tactical.

As for Brentford, Kristoffer Ajer and Keane Lewis-Potter are unlikely to recover from calf and knee injuries respectively another couple of weeks, while Pontus Jansson is nursing a fresh thigh problem sustained in the loss to Newcastle and should miss out too.

Out-of-favour midfielder Frank Onyeka was nowhere to be seen against the Magpies due to a thigh twinge, but he should be in with a strong chance of coming back here as Frank ponders a tactical change.

With Jansson on the sidelines, the Bees could revert to a four-man backline for the trip to Molineux, allowing Yoane Wissa to return up front alongside Bryan Mbeumo, who lost his place to Kevin Schade last weekend.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Semedo, Kilman, Dawson, Toti; Podence, Gomes, Lemina, Nunes; Cunha, Costa

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Raya; Hickey, Mee, Pinnock, Henry; Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa

We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Brentford

Brentford and Wolves have never played out back-to-back draws in a single season before, but there is no obvious winner in this tie, even if Lopetegui's side have the recent Molineux pattern working against them.

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