Wolverhampton Wanderers will play hosts to S.C. Braga at the Molineux Stadium on Thursday night hoping to kick off their UEFA Europa League campaign with a victory. The West Midlands team suffered a 5-2 defeat at home when they entertained Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend. Hence, Nuno Espirito Santo will be desperate to see his side bounce back against the Liga NOS outfit in midweek.
Wolves could set-up in a 3-5-2 formation with Matt Doherty, Ryan Bennett and Willy Boly expected to start versus Ricardo Sá Pinto’s men.
3-5-2 Wolves Predicted Lineup To Face Braga
Defence
The Portuguese goalkeeper, Rui Patricio will once again start in goal for Wolves in midweek while John Ruddy plays second-fiddle to him on Nuno Santo’s bench. The West Midlands side might opt for a back three of Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady and Willy Boly as they look to put in a much improved defensive shift at home versus their Portuguese opponents.
The Wolves backline ended up conceding five goals against the Pensioners last weekend which means that all three of their defenders could be a bit low on confidence heading into this European clash.
Midfield
Nuno Santo could start with Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves as the talented trio try to establish the home side’s dominance at the centre of the park. Matt Doherty is expected to put in a tireless shift as the right wing-back while Jonny Otto lines up on the other side down the left flank.
It will be up to the Wolves midfield five to put on a decent showing on Thursday night so that they can begin their UEFA Europa League journey with a win in front of their home supporters. Both Adama Traore and Morgan Gibbs-White could come off the Wolves bench to make an impact in the game if required.
Attack
The dynamic attacking pair of Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez will lead the line for the West Midlands outfit up top. Both strikers failed to score against Chelsea at the weekend, so this match could be an ideal opportunity for them to return to their goal-scoring ways.
Patrick Cutrone will be a part of Nuno Santo’s bench and might get a chance to feature in this match if needed.
