Here you will find the ultimate preview of West Brom v Wolves in Sunday’s FA Cup clash including team news, predictions and Gary O’Neil’s thoughts.
Wolves travel to West Brom on Sunday aiming to make history by finally defeating their Black Country rivals at the Hawthorns after nearly a 10,000-day wait.
The two sides drew each other in the fourth round of the FA Cup after O’Neil’s side overcame Brentford while the Baggies beat Aldershot.
It is no doubt a massive occasion for both sets of fans as they get to see their teams face off against each other for the first time in front of spectators for almost 12 years.
Below is everything you need to know about the upcoming fixture.
Where can I watch West Brom v Wolves?
If you didn’t manage to get a ticket for the game, it will be broadcast live on ITV1. As a result, the kick-off time on Sunday is slightly unusual at 11:45.
Due to the game being drawn at the Hawthorns, there will also be no VAR in use during the tie.
Any fans attending the game will therefore have to make sure that they are up early to reach the stadium in time.
How is each team’s form?
Wolves come into the tie on their best form of the campaign so far. O’Neil’s squad are currently six games unbeaten in all competitions. This includes some massive victories including a 4-1 thrashing of Brentford and a 3-0 hammering of Everton at Molineux.
In contrast, West Brom have had a mixed start to 2024. Sitting fifth in the Championship, won two of their last four games in all competitions. Last time out they were defeated 2-0 away to Norwich.
However, at the Hawthorns, the Baggies are particularly menacing, as they sit on a five-game home unbeaten run.
Team news ahead of West Brom v Wolves
O’Neil received a boost in the week after it was announced that Rayan Ait-Nouri would be returning back to England. The Algerian had been away for AFCON but his country was eliminated in the group stages.
However, Hwang Hee-Chan and Boubacar Traore will still not be available for selection as they are still away on international duty. Joao Gomes is not available as he is still serving his suspension for the red card against Brentford. Pablo Sarabia is also a doubt for the tie after he picked up a knock in the week.
Predictions for West Brom v Wolves
Predicting the score in the FA Cup is always a tough ask. There have already been multiple upsets in this year’s competition such as George Elokobi’s Maidstone United reaching the fifth round.
Sunday’s game adds more complications due to the derby nature of the tie. However, BBC’s Chris Sutton has had a go a predicting the result.
The pundit believes Wolves will come out victorious in the tie with a 2-1 result. His two guests also follow the same line of thinking with a 1-0 win.
Gary O’Neil’s thoughts going into the Black Country Derby
O’Neil goes into Sunday’s game in a rare position for recent Wolves managers. Only one of the last nine men in the Molineux dugout has taken charge in a Black Country Derby. Even then, Nuno’s was during COVID and without fans present.
The manager is therefore in a position to make history and end years of hurt at the Hawthorns with a very important win. Despite only taking charge in the summer, the history behind the fixture isn’t lost on O’Neil as he goes into the fixture with confidence.
He told Wolves: “There will be enough lads in there who have seen these things before. They will all be aware of the best way, but it’s an individual thing.
“I always found it easier to not think too much about the game until you got really close to it because you end up being too high too early if you build up to it the day before, but the lads will all have their own individual ways to ensure they’re ready come 11.45am.
“But we’ve got some good senior players in there who can keep control of anyone who starts to go away from where we need. But we’re really confident that we’re in a good place to deal with everything that is thrown at us on Sunday.”