Ahead of Sunday’s Black Country Derby clash, Gary O’Neil provides an injury update with one first-teamer set to be a doubt for the FA Cup tie.
Wolves will travel to West Brom on Sunday as they face off in front of fans for the first time since 2012. It is a massive game for both sets of fans as they look to claim bragging rights over their rivals.
O’Neil’s side come into the fixture on good form after overseeing a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions. This includes a 3-2 win over Brentford at Molineux to reach the fourth round of the competition.
In the Championship, the Baggies have had a mixed run of fortune. Sitting fifth in the second tier, West Brom beat Aldershot to get to this stage but fell to a 2-0 defeat to Norwich last game.
Wolves go to the Hawthorns on a terrible recent run at the stadium. The Molineux side hasn’t won at their ground for almost 10,000 days.
However, O’Neil has received several boosts going into the fixture such as Pedro Neto and Mario Lemina’s return to the starting XI against Brighton. Lemina’s return is especially good considering Joao Gomes is still suspended. This week, the manager has received mixed team news as he looked to progress into the fifth round.
Pablo Sarabia – injury latest
Pablo Sarabia has made a remarkable comeback this season. After being used sparingly at the start of the campaign, a sensational performance from the bench in the 2-1 victory over Spurs put his Wolves career back on track.
Since then, the Spaniard has become one of the club’s most creative players. Alongside Neto, Sarabia has collected eight assists so far this season, the most in the squad.
However, going into the West Brom tie, the 31-year-old has become a doubt for the fixture after picking up an injury in the week.
O’Neil told Wolves: “There are concerns from the Brighton game and Pablo [Sarabia] got a knock on his calf and hasn’t trained yet. I’ll envisage he should be fit but we’re just monitoring him.”
Wolves will be hopeful that Sarabia can return to full fitness over the next couple of days to be available for West Brom.
Expected return: West Brom (January 28)
Rayan Ait-Nouri – team news
The fullback has easily been one of Wolves’ best players this campaign. Despite almost leaving the club in the summer, Ait-Nouri is now arguably indispensable to the side.
This has been highly evident in recent games. The 22-year-old has been missing from the squad due to AFCON resulting in Matt Doherty playing in his role. However, the Irishman just doesn’t have the same effect as the Algerian on the left.
Going into the derby, O’Neil received a boost as Algeria were knocked out of the tournament in the group stage. This means that the full-back has now returned to the club.
The manager confirmed in the week that Ait-Nouri will be in the matchday squad for the tie. This again, will give Wolves the best possible chance of progressing into the next round.
Expected return: West Brom (January 28)