Wolves begin their FA Cup campaign today and are facing Sheffield United in the competition’s third round.
It is Bruno Lage’s first ever tie as a manager, and he will be hoping to avoid an upset.
Wolves started off 2022 in the best possible way, beating Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
The team played some brilliant football, and there is growing belief in what Lage is doing at Molineux.
Hopefully the team’s good form can continue in the FA Cup.
Last season, Wolves crashed out to Southampton in the fifth round, leaving fans very unhappy. Some felt it was a good chance to go far into the competition.
Lage has talked up wanting to win titles and the FA Cup itself, and so it could be that he goes fairly strong today against the Championship outfit.
Here’s a starting XI he could go with:
Starting XI to face Sheffield United in the FA Cup
John Ruddy typically replaces the number one goalkeeper for cup competitions and it’s likely he’ll start today in place of Jose Sa.
Conor Coady and Max Kilman will probably keep their places, and it could be that Dion Sanderson – just recalled from his loan spell with Birmingham City – gets a chance.
If that is the case, he might line up to Coady’s right, with Kilman shifting over to the left.
Ki-Jana Hoever could replace Nelson Semedo at right wing-back, while Rayan Ait-Nouri could come back in in place of Fernando Marcal just to keep things fresh.
In midfield, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho could pair up once again to help Wolves have control in the game.
And in attack, Fabio Silva could get a rare start after a pretty good cameo against United the other night.
The teenager needs a chance to prove he is worthy of keeping around, amid talk of a potential loan exit.
Daniel Podence is in a good moment right now and has a good chance of starting.
Adama Traore is the subject of transfer speculation just at the moment but remains a Wolves player for now.
Maybe it’s important he feature heavily this month. If Wolves are going to sell due to the player not extending his contract, then it needs to be for as much money as possible.
With this particular time, Lage would be making six changes to the side that faced Manchester United in the league.
