Wolves closed the book on their pre-season with a 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano as they were forced to be without star attacker Matheus Cunha.
Wolves made a promising start to the contest and were arguably the better team inside the first 10 minutes however, they didn’t manage to press home that advantage as the visitors scored in the 14th minute through Isi Palazon.
Gary O’Neil continued to line up with a back four in this match with Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera in the heart of defence.
At the other end of the pitch, Jorgen Strand Larsen assumed his role as the figurehead of the attack with Hwang Hee-Chan, who was deployed just behind the Norwegian.
Wolves were blunted in attack without star man Matheus Cunha, who was told that he would miss the season opener against Arsenal however, that may no longer be the case.
Wolves star Matheus Cunha may feature against Arsenal
Supporters were fearing the worst when an update on Cunha was dropped on Thursday, which suggested he would miss the trip to Emirates.
The 25-year-old had spent the last week or so in Brazil to rest and recuperate while nursing his latest injury.
Cunha is an ‘integral’ part of the attack, as dubbed by journalist Nathan Judah, so potentially not having him available dealt their chances of coming away with a result a crushing blow.
Luckily, it looks as though the Brazilian has ‘recovered pretty quickly’ and the club are hoping to get him ‘back on grass’ on Monday.
That is according to journalist Liam Keen, who provided an update on the forward via the E&S after Wolves’ loss to Rayo Vallecano.
“Looks like he’s recovered pretty quickly from a hamstring strain because he went away to Brazil, hadn’t trained and they’re hoping to get him back on grass on Monday,” Keen said.
“Then have him hopefully in full training at the end of the week. Probably not a start but some minutes at Arsenal providing the week goes well, but the week has to go well for that to happen so it’s definitely a big development because we were all unsure whether he was going to be available.
“We were waiting to hear a bit more on that because of him going away to Brazil, so to have him available would be a big plus for Wolves.”
Cunha is crucial to Wolves chances vs Arsenal
It’s an uphill battle from the get-go attempting to come away with at least a point from the Emirates.
Arsenal ran Man City close for the Premier League title last term and Mikel Arteta’s men will be desperate to make a fast start, perhaps inflicting some damage against Wolves.
So, having Cunha fit for the match – or at least ready to come off the bench – at least gives O’Neil a spark in attack.
The Brazilian was beginning to form a partnership with Strand Larsen before his injury, playing just behind the Norwegian and scoring in the 3-0 win over West Ham.
Cunha is simply essential to this Wanderers side, especially with Pedro Neto leaving, and he’s also shown he can perform in the big games.
Last season, the former Atletico Madrid star scored a hat-trick against Chelsea and a consolation in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, so he’ll be eager to emulate that success next weekend.