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CadizCadizvs.WolvesWolverhampton Wanderers

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 December 2022, 17:48
Wolverhampton Wanderers's second and final mid-season friendly will take place on Wednesday, with La Liga outfit Cadiz their opponents.

Julen Lopetegui's side played out a 1-1 draw with Italian side Empoli last Friday, while Cadiz were in action last Wednesday, recording a 4-2 victory over Manchester United on home soil.

Match preview

Cadiz faced a weakened Man United side at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla last time out, but it was still an impressive performance from the La Liga outfit, who led 2-0 inside the opening 13 minutes courtesy of goals from Carlos Garcia and Anthony Lozano.

The Red Devils managed to level the scores early in the second half, with Anthony Martial and Kobbie Mainoo both registering, but Cadiz then scored through Ruben Sobrino and Tomas Alarcon to run out 4-2 winners.

The Yellow Submarine drew 0-0 with Xerez in their first friendly on November 30, and they will play once more after this match before returning to competitive action, with Roma their opponents on December 16.

Sergio Gonzalez's side will be back in La Liga action against Almeria on December 30, and they have work to do when it comes to the league, as a total of 11 points from 14 matches has left them 19th in the table.

Cadiz are only one point behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo, though, and they put in a much-improved performance against Real Madrid in their final league game before the break for the World Cup, only suffering a 2-1 loss to Carlo Ancelotti's side at Bernabeu.

Wolves, meanwhile, took part in a behind-closed-doors match with Empoli last Friday, with the contest finishing 1-1, and the Premier League outfit will now play their final mid-season friendly on Wednesday.

Julen Lopetegui was appointed head coach at Molineux in the middle of November, and the Spaniard, who boasts Porto, Real Madrid and Sevilla among his former clubs, will have to hit the ground running.

Indeed, Wolves have struggled this season, only picking up 10 points from their opening 15 Premier League matches, which has left them bottom of the table.

Lopetegui will certainly believe that he can get more out of the current group, but his first official match at the helm will not be in the Premier League, with Wolves back in competitive action against Gillingham in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on December 20.

The former Championship winners will then return to Premier League action away to Everton on December 26 before welcoming Manchester United to Molineux in their final game of 2022.

Cadiz friendly form:

L

W

Cadiz form (all competitions):

D

L

W

D

L

W

Wolverhampton Wanderers friendly form:

W

W

L

W

D

D

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

L

L

D

L

W

L

Team News

Cadiz will again be missing Jon Ander Garrido and Joseba Zaldua through injury for this contest, while Victor Chust remains a doubt for the home side due to a muscular problem.

Head coach Sergio will again make full use of his squad, but it would not be a surprise to see him name close to the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Man United.

Lozano could therefore again be joined in the final third of the field by Lozano, with Alex Fernandez, who provided two assists against the Red Devils, set to feature in midfield.

As for Wolves, Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-chan are with the group following their involvement in the 2022 World Cup, and the two attackers should be involved in this match.

However, Portugal trio Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes and Jose Sa will not be linking back up with the squad until later in the week, once the team have returned to the United Kingdom.

Joao Moutinho is again expected to captain Wolves from the start, while Goncalo Guedes, Adama Traore and Diego Costa could again start.

However, Chiquinho, Sasa Kalajdzic, Jonny and Pedro Neto remain on the sidelines through injury.

Cadiz possible starting lineup:

Ledesma; Alejo, Fali, Hernandez, C Garcia, Arzamendia; Alex, Alcaraz, Ocampo; Negredo, Lozano

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sarkic; Semedo, Kilman, Collins, Toti; Moutinho, Hodge; Hee-chan, Guedes, Traore; Costa

We say: Cadiz 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Cadiz were impressive against Man United last time out, and we are expecting another strong performance from the home side here. Both managers will want to get through this match without any injuries and with a decent display, and we are backing an entertaining 2-2 draw to take place here.

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