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Wolves vs Crystal Palace Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Team News, Predictions & More
Wolves and Crystal Palace kick off 2019 with a Premier League fixture at Molineux on Wednesday evening.
Ten points currently separate these two sides in the league table after they've experienced contrasting seasons thus far, with Wolves sitting in seventh ahead of Palace who are down in 14th.
Wolves are riding high after their recent 3-1 victory over Tottenham at Wembley, whilst Palace will be hoping that they can bounce back after failing to score in their previous two games against Cardiff and Chelsea.
Check out 90min's preview of Wednesday's clash below.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Wednesday 2nd January |
|---|---|
What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
Where Is It Being Played? | Molineux |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | NBC Sports Gold |
Referee? | Roger East |
Team News
Nuno Espirito Santo has had very few injuries to contend with so far this season and he will have the majority of his Wolves squad to choose from again on Saturday. Diogo Jota will remain out injured and he is likely to be joined by Adama Traore, who was substituted with a hamstring problem during the win over Tottenham.
Christian Benteke and Martin Kelly will be unavailable for selection once again for Roy Hodgson. The only real decision for the veteran manager is whether to recall Wayne Hennessey to the Palace starting XI after the Welsh keeper recovered from the back injury that kept him out of the past three matches.
Predicted Lineups
Wolves | Patricio; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Costa, Cavaleiro, Jimenez. |
|---|---|
Crystal Palace | Guaita; Wan-Bissaka, Sakho, Tomkins, Van Aanholt; McArthur, Milivojevic, Kouyate, Meyer; Zaha, Townsend. |
Head to Head Record
Wolves have the edge when it comes to head to head results between these two, winning 26 of their previous 64 encounters. Meanwhile, Palace have won 20 and 18 have ended up finishing all square.
Earlier on in the season, Wolves got the better of the Eagles at Selhurst Park, winning 1-0 courtesy of a second-half strike from Matt Doherty. That was also the first time the two sides had faced off against one another in the Premier League.
Recent Form
Wolves have enjoyed a superb December, with their only defeat of the month being their 2-0 loss to league leaders Liverpool. They've won three of their past five matches, with their best result being the impressive 3-1 victory over Tottenham on Saturday. Their good form has also seen them climb up to a comfortable top-half position in the league table.
Palace's recent form has been very inconsistent. They produced arguably the biggest shock of the season when they defeated Manchester City 3-2 at the Etihiad last week, but they followed that up with a goalless draw against Cardiff and a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Here's a full breakdown of both side's previous five results.
Wolves | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|
Tottenham 1-3 Wolves (29/12) | Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea (30/12) |
Fulham 1-1 Wolves (26/12) | Crystal Palace 0-0 Cardiff City (26/12) |
Wolves 0-2 Liverpool (21/12) | Manchester City 2-3 Crystal Palace (22/12) |
Wolves 2-0 Bournemouth (15/12) | Crystal Palace 1-0 Leicester (15/12) |
Newcastle 1-2 Wolves (09/12) | West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace (08/12) |
Predictions
Given the two sides' contrasting form, Wolves will come into this one as the clear favourites to bag a win.
Wolves look to be strong in all areas of the pitch and they are now beginning to find the clinical edge they were often lacking during their rough patch earlier on in the season.
However, Palace may be looking to take advantage of the fact that Wolves often tend to reserve their very best performances for encounters with the league's top dogs, so there is always a chance that the hosts will end up taking their foot off the gas on Wednesday.
It's unlikely to be a comprehensive victory, but Wolves should have enough to earn all three points.
Predicted Score: Wolves 2-1 Crystal Palace
