Thanks to Ruben Neves’ strike in the second-half, Wolves moved a step closer to the Championship title as they secured a 1-0 win over Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium in their last league fixture.
On Wednesday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are due to host Derby County at the Molineux Stadium and at the onset, the game promises to be a crunch one as the visiting side are no pushovers.
Wolves Team News
Espirito Santo has all his key men available at his disposal for the upcoming fixture.
Here is how we expect Espirito Santo to roll out his starting line-up against Gary Rowett’s entourage.
Goalkeeper
John Ruddy’s confidence will be sky high after having saved the penalty in the injury time in the clash against the Bluebirds. He has been a superb asset for the Wolves this season, having notched up 20 clean sheets from 41 games in the Championship and has made 1.85 saves per game on an average. He deserves to start under the bar yet again.
Defence
Espirito Santo is seemingly likely to roll out a three-man defensive wall yet again, comprising of Willy Boly, Conor Coady and Ryan Bennett. The trio engineered a handsome outing in their last league fixture as they showcased incredible resilience at the back and there is hardly any doubt upon their likelihood to start against the Rams.
Wingbacks
Matt Doherty should keep his place in the right-wingback slot as his driving runs and ability to jot down stupendous crosses has helped his side time and again this season. Doherty is a competent attacker down the right and is equally brilliant when it comes to catering to his defensive duties.
From the left-wingback slot, we expect to see Barry Douglas showcasing his calibre yet again. The Scottish international didn’t get much of opportunities to maraud forward and create chances against Neil Warnock’s men but the defensive resilience he offered was notable.
Midfield
Espirito Santo might prefer giving rest to Romain Saiss and hand Alfred N’Diaye the chance to start alongside Neves in the middle of the park. N’Diaye has lived up their expectations, more often than not, when he has been used by the Portuguese gaffer and should do a fine job in the midweek fixture.
Attack
Benik Afobe is seemingly likely to operate from the right-wing. He is a competent and clinical attacker and has the tendency to create chances as well. Up front, we expect Leo Bonatini to start whereas from the left-wing, Espirito Santo might continue with Diogo Jota.
