Match Preview
Wolverhampton Wanderers vrs Fulham
Premier League Match Day 02 22/23 at Molineux
Saturday 13th August 2022 KO: 15:00
Referee:
John Brooks (Leicestershire)
|
Fulham square off against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday afternoon looking to build on their impressive draw with Liverpool last weekend.
Fulham supporters would have feared a one-sided defeat as soon as it was revealed that they would begin their first campaign back in the top flight with a meeting against Liverpool.
Fans of the West London outfit certainly did not envisage leaving Craven Cottage with a feeling of what could have been having led the Premier League and Champions League runners-up on two occasions.
However, it remains a point gained for Fulham, highlighted by head coach Marco Silva talking up the performance of his side as Jurgen Klopp was left frustrated with his own team.
The Portuguese must now find a way to get that level of display out of his players on a regular basis, something which is achievable if Joao Palhinha is a constant presence in midfield.
Fulham beat Wolves to the signature of the Portuguese enforcer, and it will be intriguing to see how the former Sporting Lisbon man shapes up against the likes of Ruben Neves and co this weekend.
Wolves head into their first home fixture of the new Premier League season eager to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at Leeds United.
Playing a first competitive game with a new system away at Leeds was always going to be far from ideal for Wolves and Bruno Lage, it not necessarily coming as a surprise that they lost out at Elland Road.
Nevertheless, the disappointment stems from the fact that Wolves performed well for large parts in Yorkshire and conceded a really poor goal to allow their hosts back into the contest having initially taken the lead.
Lage now needs to ensure that does not become a regular occurrence, particularly during the opening month of the season when Wolves have a more favourable run of fixtures than others.
Aside from next week's trip to Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves are involved in a number of games that they will expect to win, including the one against last season's Championship victors on Saturday.
That said, Wolves will only achieve their target if they are more ruthless at both ends of the pitch, and it remains to be seen how the exit of Conor Coady and arrival of Valencia winger Goncalo Guedes will impact on this squad.
-
Fulham are winless in 13 league away matches against Wolves since a 4-0 triumph in the second tier in March 1985 (D3, L10).
-
Wolves have won nine of the past 12 meetings, including the last three in a row by a 1-0 scoreline in the top flight.
-
Wolves have won five of the six Premier League encounters at Molineux (W5, D1).
-
The Cottagers can equal the club Premier League record of 12 successive winless matches, set from November 2007 to January 2008 and equalled from December 2020 to February 2021.
-
Aleksandar Mitrovic could become the first Fulham player to score in their opening two matches of a Premier League season since Damien Duff in 2012-13.
-
Mitrovic scored both goals on the opening weekend, taking his tally to 45 goals in his last 44 league appearances. The Serbian netted only three times in 27 league games in the Cottagers' most recent Premier League season, in 2020-21.
-
Fulham picked up more Premier League points in away games (18) than at Craven Cottage (10) in 2020-21.
-
They won their opening away fixture in two of their previous 15 Premier League seasons, most recently in 2013-14.
-
Wolves are winless in 11 Premier League games in August since a 2-0 home win against Fulham in 2011 (D6 L5). Only in April (14 games between 2004 and 2012) have Wolves had a longer winless run in a specific month.
-
They have lost three of their past four Premier League games when scoring first, more than they had in their previous 55 such occasions since returning to the top flight in 2018.
-
Bruno Lage's side earned more points in away games (27) than they did at Molineux (24) last season. Only relegated pair Watford and Norwich City lost more top-flight home matches than the nine by Wolves in 2021-22.
-
They have lost their first home league match in the past two seasons, losing to Manchester City and Spurs. They last did so in three consecutive seasons between 1985-86 and 1987-88, when beaten by Newport County, Cambridge United and Halifax Town.
`
`