The focus turns to football again as Cheltenham comes to an end with Wolves taking on Leeds at Molineux for some Friday night football in the Premier League. 20 points separate the sides before kick-off with the sides experiencing quite different seasons, Wolves are still in with a chance of finishing in the top 5 whereas Leeds are at the wrong end of the table, battling to stay in the Premier League, just 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
Leeds managed their first win under Jesse Marsch at the weekend thanks to a late goal from substitute Gelhardt, Leeds looked to extend their winless run to 9 games when Kenny McLean equalised in stoppage time but a dramatic late finish seen Gelhardt help Leeds win the game in a crucial bottom of the table tie against Norwich.
Two huge boosts to Leeds will be the return of Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper as they return to training for the first time since December but will likely only feature from the bench. Attackers Neto and Hee-Chan Hwang are doubts amongst others for the home side but their backline, who kept 2 consecutive clean sheets should all be available.
I have put together 3 selections for this Friday night game, take a look at my reasons why below along with a pre match cheat sheet to help with your bets!
Wolves v Leeds Bet Builder Tips
Adam Forshaw to be booked
For the first selection of the bet builder, I am backing Leeds midfielder, Adam Forshaw to pick up a booking. The Leeds midfielder has done well in the midfielder this season making 20 appearances so far.
As you will see form the Cheat Sheet below, Forshaw averages 2.27 fouls committed per game. Under Jesse Marsch he has played the last 2 games on the right of the Leeds 2 defensive midfielders and will have the talented winger, Daniel Podence to defend as he is expected to start there again. Podence averages 1.84 fouls drawn per game so rove to be a bit of a problem for the Leeds struggling backline and I can see Forshaw getting caught up in the occasion.
With Phillips return to training, albeit probably not starting for the next few games due to lack of match fitness, Forshaw will need to prove he is good enough to stay in the team so should be right up for it on Friday.
Referee, Kevin Friend, averages 4.75 cards per game so there could be a few yellows thrown about, especially for Leeds as they have committed the 2nd most fouls as a team in the Premier League this season.
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Prediction: Adam Forshaw to be booked
Ruben Neves to have 1+ Shot on Target
Ruben Neves has impressed for Wolves in the past, but he is flourishing even more under Bruno Lage this season, he is Wolves 3rd top scorer so far this season which is impressive from the midfield. We all know Ruben Neves loves to try his luck from range, we have seen him score some absolute screamers for Wolves and he is such a threat to opponents with his shooting abilities from midfield.
On the cheat sheet, Neves averages 0.6 shots on target per game from his 1.48 shots per game. However, he has hit the target in 6 of his last 7 games and has been shooting for fun, especially from range. He also gets opportunities at goal via set pieces, so this gives him extra opportunities at goal.
Neves has been in decent form recently, a goal and an assist in his previous 2 which turned Wolves form around after 3 defeats in a row. It’s a nice run of games Wolves are going through at the moment with 3 games against the bottom 5, they have managed to see off Watford and Everton already and Neves is a key player in this Wolves team, and I think he has the quality to test Meslier in goal at least once on Friday night.
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Prediction: Ruben Neves to have 1+ Shot on Target
Wolves or Draw (Double Chance)
Only the current top 3 have a better defensive record than Wolves this season, and no one has conceded more goals than Leeds in the Premier League so we could be in for an interesting game with polar opposite defences.
Leeds have only won 2 games away from home this season and up against this Wolves team I think they will struggle to get another at Molineux. Leeds lost 6 games in a row before narrowly beating Norwich at the weekend, they haven’t been able to score as many this season and up against a solid Wolves team on the road I think they will struggle to find the back of the net here too, especially since they have failed to score in their last 3 away matches.
Wolves have won their last 2 which have both been against 2 teams battling to stay up, and now have the task of beating a struggling Leeds, a win here would take Wolves above West Ham and Spurs and just one point behind Man United in 5th.
Leeds haven’t beaten Wolves since 2016, in that time the sides have met 6 times with Wolves winning 5 and drawing their last one earlier on in the season and I see Wolves continuing this run here.
It’s a game where neither teams scores many goals, but I think Wolves could narrowly win this with Leeds abysmal clean sheet record, the last time Leeds kept a clean sheet was November in all competitions -this alongside Wolves defensive record, makes me think that Wolves (double chance) looks a good selection to round off this bet builder.
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Prediction: Wolves or Draw (Double Chance)
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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Wolves v Leeds Predicted Line-ups
Wolves predicted XI (3-4-2-1) : Sa; Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Jonny, Neves, Moutinho, Ait-Nouri; Podence, Jimenez, Neto
Leeds predicted XI (4-2-3-1) : Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Dallas; Koch, Forshaw; James, Klich, Raphinha; Bamford
Wolves v Leeds Cheat Sheet
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Wolves v Leeds in the Premier League
📅 When is Wolves v Leeds? / Friday, 18th March 2022, 20:00
🏟 Where is Wolves v Leeds? / Molineux (Wolverhampton)
📺 What TV channel is Wolves v Leeds on? / Sky Sports Main Event
🟨 …And who is the referee for Wolves v Leeds? / Kevin Friend 🏴
