Wolves handed lift as Fabian Hurzeler confirms Brighton star will miss Sunday’s clash

Wolves host Brighton on Sunday as Vitor Pereira’s side hope to build on the momentum of their impressive performance vs Tottenham.

If all was fair, the Old Gold would be sitting on three points rather than one, as Joao Palhinha’s late equaliser denied them all three points.

However, that game is now in the rearview, and all focus is on facing Brighton at Molineux.

Hugo Bueno will need to be wary of Yankuba Minteh, with the winger offering a direct threat out wide. Meanwhile, Pereira should start Jackson Tchatchoua to deal with Kaoru Mitoma.

While Brighton have some quality stars, Fabian Hurzeler has now revealed a key player is set to miss Sunday’s game.

Joel Veltman ruled out vs Wolves

There will be many key battles as Wolves host Brighton at Molineux on Sunday but the Seagulls boss has now confirmed that one player will not feature against the Old Gold.

Fabian Hurzeler was speaking to the press ahead of the weekend’s game and said that defender Joel Veltman will miss the trip to Wolves.

He said, “Joel had a small issue against Chelsea, so he won’t be available, but he will be back after the international break.”

It is a big blow for the South Coast side, with Veltman’s versatility across the backline an important asset to the team.

The Dutch defender has played at both right and left-back this season and has started their last six games in all competitions.

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However, it is a boost for Wolves, who will be hoping to benefit from Veltman’s absence.

Wolves must find a solution on the left wing

Hwang Hee-chan has been in terrible form ever since Vitor Pereira joined the club, but the Korean is the most natural option for the left wing.

If Pereira opts to use the new four-back system, he must find another solution out on the left other than Hee-chan.

Rodrigo Gomes could be an unlikely choice, as the Portuguese has previous experience in that role, but if using three centre-backs, then Hugo Bueno could offer an attacking threat down that side.

Jhon Arias was impressive against Spurs, but you would rather keep him in his natural right-sided attacker position than shoehorn him on the left on Sunday.

Brighton do have a lot of options to replace Veltman. Ferdi Kadioglu is a versatile fullback who can play either side; new signing Maxim De Cuyper could slot in at left-back then.

Meanwhile, Mats Wieffer was the man chosen to directly replace Veltman against Chelsea after he went off injured.

Either way, the player coming in will not have had a lot of minutes, and that lack of match sharpness could be a huge positive for the Old Gold.