Wolves face a very tough test this weekend as they head to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League.
Wolves recorded a huge win over Aston Villa last time out in the competition, and then followed that up with a good win against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.
There’s optimism again at Molineux with several players having come back into form.
But Sunday’s game will be a stern test for Wolves.
Vitor Pereira is coming up against the best team in the league at one of the hardest grounds to go to.
But Wolves can beat anyone on their day, and fans will believe after a positive past couple of weeks and a good end to the transfer window.
The team selection will be interesting – and Pereira will likely be mulling over one position especially.
Pereira faces dilemma for Wolves with Rodrigo Gomes or Rayan Ait-Nouri against Liverpool
Since Pereira came in at Wolves, Rodrigo Gomes has been one of the best performers.
The Portuguese youngster wasn’t rated much by Gary O’Neil, but has seen much more involvement under the new head coach, with Pereira believing Rodrigo is a player for the present.
Andy Thompson described Rodrigo as ‘relentless’, and stated that the gem has yet to let him down in a Wolves shirt. Many fans will share those sentiments.
Rodrigo – a £12.7 million signing (BBC Sport) from Braga – was back starting again for Wolves against Blackburn, featuring as a left wing-back. And once again, he was one of Wolves’ best players.
His form now presents Pereira with a dilemma.
Because on paper, Rayan Ait-Nouri is one of Wolves’ best players. But he has not been in particularly great form.
That said, the Algerian has previously had some pretty good battles with Mo Salah, who he’d likely come up against on Sunday, and come out on top several times against the Egyptian.
It would be bold of Pereira to go with Rodrigo over Ait-Nouri. But given Liverpool’s scary attack, the Portuguese might just be preferred for his better defensive quality.
Pereira did recently admit Ait-Nouri needs to improve defensively, so this could be a factor in his decision this weekend.
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What Rayan Ait-Nouri admitted about Mo Salah
Salah is arguably the best player in the Premier League right now, having scored 26 goals across all competitions this season. He also has 18 assists.
He’s a player no full-back wants to face, and Wolves star Ait-Nouri is no exception.
He recently admitted in a video for the JD Football TikTok account that Salah is the toughest opponent he’s ever faced.
He said: “The most difficult I played against is maybe Salah. Very strong, very fast and clever.”
Although he has done well in previous encounters with Salah, it’s clear Ait-Nouri finds it challenging to play against him and Pereira might just give Rodrigo the nod on that left side.