Wolves travel to Newcastle in the Premier League on Wednesday night as Vitor Pereira’s men aim to return to winning ways.
It’s been a brilliant start to life for Vitor Pereira as the new Wolves manager. The Portuguese boss has only tasted one defeat in the league, and that came against high-flyers Nottingham Forest.
Wolves also clinched a 2-1 victory over Bristol City in the FA Cup, advancing into the fourth round against Blackburn Rovers.
However, Pereira will now switch his focus towards their trip to Newcastle in the Premier League, who are currently chasing down the European spots.
Chris Sutton expects Newcastle to beat Wolves, although the visitors will have a lot to say about that, especially with some of their key stars returning.
Matheus Cunha, Nelson Semedo and Craig Dawson will return vs Newcastle United
Across the Christmas period and heading into the New Year, Pereira has been without some of his first-team players, most notably Matheus Cunha.
Cunha was banned for two matches following his episode of violent conduct in the loss to Ipswich Town last month and missed the clashes against Nottingham Forest and Bristol City as a result.
The Portuguese manager has also been without defenders Toti Gomes, Nelson Semedo and Craig Dawson.
Dawson’s hamstring injury saw him miss the trip to Bristol City while Semedo picked up a knock before the defeat to Forest, seeing him sidelined for the win at Ashton Gate.
Whilst Toti is still out of action with a thigh injury, Pereira did provide a positive update on Cunha, Semedo and Dawson, confirming the trio will be available against Newcastle, as per Liam Keen on X.
This is huge news for the Old Gold, who will also see another of their teammates return for the visit to St James’ Park.
Vitor Pereira shares Mario Lemina update
Mario Lemina has been subject to transfer speculation at the start of the January window.
Al Shabab were keen on signing Lemina, whose contract expires in June, whilst Galatasaray are now readying a shock move for Lemina this month.
The 31-year-old could be shifted on to free up his hefty wages, with Wolves demanding £5m for Lemina, underlining uncertainty over his future at Molineux.
That being said, the Gabon international remains at the club, and Pereira offered a positive update on the midfielder ahead of Newcastle, confirming he’s in contention to start after illness.
When asked about the player’s future, it appears as though Pereira accepts that he will depart. He said: “It’s an issue he must solve with the club. We know what he wants and we now have to solve the issue. I expect him to be professional.”