Wolves vs Newcastle: Premier League preview, team news, stats, prediction, kick-off time
Yerson Mosquera added to Wolves injury list; Newcastle without as many as seven players for Molineux trip; follow Wolves vs Newcastle in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel at 5.15pm
Saturday 2 October 2021 08:47, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Wolves vs Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Team news
Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera is expected to be out for up to five months with a hamstring injury.
The defender, who had only recovered from a hamstring problem he suffered in the summer, was carried off just nine minutes into his debut against Tottenham last week and has had surgery.
Pedro Neto (knee) and Jonny (knee) remain long-term absentees but Rayan Ait-Nouri could return to face Newcastle after concussion.
Newcastle head coach Steve Bruce will have none of his wounded troops back for the trip to Molineux.
Midfielder Joe Willock suffered no reaction to his surprise inclusion in the starting line-up for last weekend's 1-1 draw at Watford a day after being ruled out with a toe injury, while Martin Dubravka is expected to return to training after a foot problem in the next week.
However, fellow keeper Freddie Woodman (hip), defenders Jamaal Lascelles (thigh) and Paul Dummett (calf), midfielder Jonjo Shelvey (also calf) and striker Callum Wilson (thigh) are still out.
How to follow
Follow Wolves vs Newcastle in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at 5.15pm.
- Download the Sky Sports Scores App: Apple | Android
- The UK's No 1 scores app: Find out more
Last time out...
Jones Knows' prediction
If you are thinking about piling into Wolves at 8/13 with Sky Bet, then football betting probably isn't for you.
The home side are obviously the more likely winners of this encounter but can you really trust a side at such skinny odds that have such big issues in front goal? Wolves are the only side yet to score at home in English football this season with four defeats across all competitions to their name. Yes, their overall expected goal numbers offer encouragement but in their last two fixtures they have averaged just an 0.6 expected goal figure in matches against Brentford and Southampton.
Newcastle are rated as relegation contenders by the markets but I see it slightly differently. I covered their clash with Watford last weekend and they were so unfortunate not to take all three points on the balance of play. With Allan Saint-Maximin playing through the middle - a position which suits him - and Joe Willock supporting from deep, they posted an expected goal figure of 1.93. That is usually enough to win a Premier League game, quite comfortably.
It wasn't a flash in the pan either. Newcastle consistently create chances that equates to them to being a mid-table ranked team in the Premier League from an attacking perspective. This calendar year, their expected goals figure of 36.29 is the ninth highest in the league, higher than Leeds, Aston Villa, Everton and Brighton. A team with that attacking process are begging to be backed at bigger than 4/1 with Sky Bet against such a flaky team like Wolves, who haven't scored before the 38th minute in any of their last 28 games in all competitions.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2
BETTING ANGLE: Newcastle to win (17/4 with Sky Bet)
Opta stats
- Wolves haven't won any of their last seven home league games against Newcastle (D5 L2), since a 1-0 victory in the second tier in April 1993.
- Newcastle have won just one of their last nine league games against Wolves (D6 L2), winning 1-0 at Molineux in February 2017 in the Championship.
- Both teams have scored in all 12 Premier League meetings between Wolves and Newcastle, making it the most played fixture in the competition not to see a clean sheet. Eight of those 12 matches have finished 1-1, including each of the last five in a row.
- Wolves have lost each of their last four Premier League home games, last losing more consecutively at Molineux between January and April 2012 (9).
- Wolves are the only side without a home goal in the Premier League so far this season. Only four teams have ever failed to score in any of their first four home games in a top-flight campaign - West Bromwich Albion in 1921-22, Everton in 1998-99 and both Crystal Palace and Huddersfield in 2018-19.
