Mateus Mane could be a real standout player for Wolves in the Championship this season having impressed in the second half of last campaign in what was a pretty poor season for the Wanderers overall.

Wolves have managed to keep the 18 year old despite heavy interest from Premier League clubs, highlighting the talent and ceiling of Mane who scored three goals across 19 starts in the top flight last term from 42 shots (2.11 per 90).

We saw this shot volume again in Wolves’ 3-0 win over Port Vale in the cup with Mane taking four shots. He could be a bit more accurate with these efforts as only 17 found the target last season (0.85 per 90), but the volume is promising enough to back him for an effort on target here - especially seeing as he’s as short as 1.1 for 2+ shots.

I’m quite surprised that Wolves have been able to keep Andre for this campaign. He was one of their more consistent players last term alongside Joao Gomes in midfield, who has departed to join Aston Villa.

Andre’s quality on the ball is paired with a tenacity that sees him get through quite a lot of work in the middle of the park. He committed 47 fouls across 30 starts in the Premier League last season, working out to an average of 1.53 fouls committed per 90.

His main opponent here is likely to be Todd Cantwell, who won 52 fouls across his 22 starts in the Championship last season (2.26 per 90). Cantwell is likely to be Blackburn’s main attacking threat in this game so Andre will have to keep a close eye on him.

We’ve had a chance to see both of these sides in competitive matches already this season in the first round of the EFL Cup.

Both sides saw 3+ goals in those games, with both covering the line we need here on their own in victories over Burton and Port Vale. 

Those were obviously lower league opponents and games that these sides were expected to win, but I can see Wolves covering this line on their own - as they have done in their last three matches.

Both sides also saw very high xG tallies in those cup ties, both allowing their opponents to register an xG of 1.75 or higher which may suggest a bit of defensive vulnerability at both ends.

Only Derby (109) and Hull (115) picked up more yellow cards in the Championship last season than Blackburn (100 - 2.17 per game).

Any side that travels to take on Wolves in the Championship this season will expect to spend a lot of time without the ball, given the quality that the Wanderers have in the squad and style of play that Cesar Peixoto wants to employ.

Wolves can be pretty feisty as well having committed more fouls than any other side in the Premier League last season, ranking second for that metric in the season prior. 

Blackburn committed 14 fouls in their cup win over Burton last time out, and were very fortunate to avoid a second caution after Todd Cantwell was cautioned early on. 

I expect Wolves to get off to a strong start here in what should play out to be a successful season following relegation from the Premier League.

Wolves have kept key players like Mateus Mane and Andre, as well as adding crucial experience through Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez which should help them be a competitive side at the top end of the Championship.

Blackburn only avoided the drop by five points in the Championship last term and haven’t really addressed many of the issues that left them in that situation. 

Tony Mowbray is a capable manager at this level, but I do have concerns about if he’s got the right tools to be as effective as he has been across previous stints at other Championship clubs.

I expect Wolves to get off to a strong start here in what should play out to be a successful season following relegation from the Premier League.

Wolves have kept key players like Mateus Mane and Andre, as well as adding crucial experience through Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez which should help them be a competitive side at the top end of the Championship.

Blackburn only avoided the drop by five points in the Championship last term and haven’t really addressed many of the issues that left them in that situation. 

Tony Mowbray is a capable manager at this level, but I do have concerns about if he’s got the right tools to be as effective as he has been across previous stints at other Championship clubs.

LASK have enjoyed a perfect start to the season in the Austrian Bundesliga, winning both of their opening league games to nil against Austria Wien and Grazer AK.

They’ve been really convincing in these victories as well, racking up an xG of 2.31 from 23 shots in beating Grazer before registering an xG of 3.58 from 22 shots in beating Austria Wien on the road.

LASK won the Austrian Bundesliga last season, beating out Sturm Graz and Salzburg to the title. They unsurprisingly boasted the best home record of any side, losing just three of their 16 games in front of their own fans.

They also scored more goals than any other side at home (28) which is a concern for a Ried side who only won four of their 16 away games last year and only mustered 17 goals across these matches.

After finishing rock bottom of the Premier League last season, Wolves kick off their Championship campaign at Molineux, as they face Blackburn on Friday night.

Not much has changed for Wolves in terms of personnel - the most notable loss over the summer has been Joao Gomes, but other than that their core squad has remained intact. In fact, they have made a couple of shrewd signings, as Raul Jimenez will make his return to the Midlands. Kieran Tripper has also joined from Newcastle, adding valuable experience at right back, while Ladislav Krejci has also completed a permanent move. 

Wolves struggled to compete in the top flight last season, but they have more than enough quality to mount a serious push for the promotion spots this season, and they will hope to start strong against a Blackburn side who finished just five points above the drop zone last term.

Cercle Brugge kicked off their campaign in the Belgian Pro League with a 2-2 draw against Standard Liege last time out, in what was an entertaining contest.

Cercle were battling towards the bottom of the league last season, but they survived relegation. With that being said, they still managed to score 53 goals in their 36 matches, which shows how effective they can be going forward. 

BTTS has landed in each of the last five head-to-head matches between these sides, including twice last season. Sint Truidense were also a good side to watch in the previous campaign, and they managed to finish third to give them a chance of competing in the Europa League.

They started the current season with a 1-1 draw against Lommel, so goals are a target again here.

LASK have made an excellent start to their Austrian Bundesliga campaign, collecting six points from their opening two fixtures which puts them at the top of the standings.

Both victories have been encouraging - they opened their account with a 3-0 win over GAK, before securing a 2-0 win against Austria Wien on their travels. 

SV Reid haven’t quite been as convincing, having only picked up one point in their two league matches so far. That includes a 2-1 defeat against Rapid Wien last time out. This upcoming trip to the Raidesseisen Arena seems like a daunting one for SV Reid, and LASK look like strong favourites to take all three points. 

Galatasaray kick off their title defence against newly-promoted Corum on Friday night, and the hosts will be confident of starting their campaign with three points at the Rams Park Stadium. Galatasaray have so far retained the services of key players like Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Sara, while they have added Lesley Ugochukwu from Burnley. 

They have an incredibly strong side on paper, and Corum could be in for a long night as they make their first ever appearance in the Turkish Super Lig. Even though they arrive with the wind in their sails after winning the playoff final at the end of last season, there is a significant gulf in quality between these two sides, and Galatasaray should dominate proceedings on home turf.

Telstar come into this clash against Sparta Rotterdam as slight favourites, but there is very little to split the two teams, and it is expected to be an even contest. Telstar picked up three points against NEC Nijmegen last time out, and they will be looking forward to returning to the BUKO Stadium.

They won just five of their 17 home matches in the league last season, but their games were incredibly open with chances typically available at both ends of the field. In their 17 matches, they scored 31 and conceded 28. 

Telstar won 4-1 in this fixture last season against Sparta Rotterdam, which will give them confidence, but the visitors will be confident of at least getting on the scoresheet again here.