Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manchester United’s faltering quest to return to the Champions League continues at Old Trafford as they entertain Premier League underachievers Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After suffering a brace of 1-0 defeats at Brighton and West Ham, top-four hopefuls Manchester United return to Old Trafford looking to consolidate their pursuit of a coveted Champions League finish. Despite boasting a game in hand on fifth-placed Liverpool, a one-point gap between the sides means there’s no margin for error, as Erik ten Hag’s men aim to avenge a 1-0 loss in this corresponding fixture last season. The Theatre of Dreams has been a safe haven for the ‘Red Devils’ this term as they’ve gone unbeaten in 26 competitive home games (W22, D4) since a 2-1 defeat to Brighton on ten Hag’s touchline debut in August 2022. Additionally, they’ve won their last three Premier League home matches ‘to nil,’ extending their run to five straight top-flight outings without conceding at Old Trafford.

On the other hand, Wolverhampton stunned Aston Villa 1-0 at home last weekend to mathematically secure top-flight survival with three games to spare. But don’t let Wolves’ decent-looking run of four wins ‘to nil’ in six Premier League matches trick you into believing they could stage an upset in Manchester. Julen Loeptegui’s lads have massively underperformed on the road lately, going winless in their last six away league matches (D2, L4). In a classic ‘Wolves style,’ the visitors averaged a measly 0.66 goals per game during that sequence, showing why they are the league’s worst attacking team this season (30 goals scored). Things could get worse, considering they’ve suffered ten defeats on their last 11 Premier League visits to sides starting the round in the top four (D1), netting just four goals in this run.