Wolves are taking on West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup fourth round at the Hawthorns shortly – and the nerves are setting in for supporters of both clubs.
It is the first derby match between the two in front of supporters for 12 years, with the last meeting in the Premier League coming during the Covid season.
Wolves are looking to beat their bitter rivals and in turn, put to bed a frustrating record – Wanderers have not won at the Hawthorns for 28 years.
Wolves come into the game in great form, having been unbeaten in their last six matches.
The Baggies have lost two of their last three games, but will obviously be right up for it today with Wolves in town…
Chris Sutton makes score prediction for West Brom vs Wolves
Wolves are the better team on paper and have more quality in their squad than West Brom do theirs.
But everything goes out of the window in the FA Cup.
West Brom will be absolutely determined to get a result today, and the pressure is on Wolves to beat a side they’re expected to beat.
It promises to be a cracker, and BBC pundit Chris Sutton thinks there will not be much to separate the two teams at the Hawthorns.
But he is ultimately ‘confident’ Wolves are going to win the contest and banish that winless record at the Hawthorns. He said (BBC Sport): “This local derby is always a big occasion and it should be a great game too. I watched West Brom lose at Norwich at the weekend, but they were a bit unlucky actually because they dominated possession.
Wolves are on a nice run of form in the league, and I think their manager Gary O’Neil will fancy a bit of a cup run. I can see the scoreline being close, but I am pretty confident they will beat the Baggies.”
Today is huge for Wolves
The magnitude of today’s game cannot be overstated.
This fixture is not so common these days, with West Brom languishing in the Championship, so the buzz around today’s game is completely understandable – especially with it being in the FA Cup.
Wolves have the quality to put West Brom away.
But the players must not underestimate the Baggies and they surely will not – Gary O’Neil would make sure of it.
So long as Wolves out-fight West Brom, there should be a great chance of victory today.