Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to recover from their stuttering start to the campaign as they face Leeds United on Monday. The Wolves are currently in the bottom half of the league table, but they did secure a victory over Fulham in their last game. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will be looking to continue that form when they lock horns with Leeds at the Elland Road.
Predicted Wolves Lineup Vs Leeds United
Defence
Nuno was quite vocal against the hectic fixture list of the 2020/21 campaign, but he does have most players available heading into this fixture, including key centre-back Conor Coady.
The Englishman is set to marshal Wolves’ trademark three-man backline alongside Willy Boly and Romain Saiss, who is expected to shift back to his preferred centre-back role after unusually featuring as a left wingback, due to the absence of Marcal and Jonny in the last game against Fulham.
Rui Patricio is the undisputed number one for Wolves, and the Portuguese international will be aiming for a second back to back clean sheets on Monday.
Midfield
Ruben Neves was not involved at all in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League fixture against Sweden. It should give him the edge over the ageing Joao Moutinho in central midfield.
The 23-year-old is expected to form the double pivot of Wolves’ 3-4-1-2 alongside Leander Dendoncker. It will be interesting to see how these two players deal with the threat of Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich on Monday.
Elsewhere, Marcal is most likely to recover in time for this Leeds United clash. He should assume his role at left wingback while Nelson Semedo could retain his place on the opposite flank, ahead of Adama Traore, who could be later subbed in.
Adama’s pace and dynamism could be useful for Wolves during the latter stages of the game, when the Leeds United players, who usually employ a high, relentless press, start to get tired.
Attack
Nuno has a lot of options in attack, but it seems Pedro Neto has established himself as a key member of the team. He should operate in the number ten role, ahead of new signing Vitinha.
Finally, the Wolves attack should be spearheaded by the familiar offensive duo of Raul Jimenez and Daniel Podence. They can truly cause problems for the Leeds backline, especially with Nuno having Fabio Silva and Adama as options on the bench.
