Wolves are back in pre-season action tonight against Luton Town.
Julen Lopetegui is looking to further prepare his players for that first Premier League game of the season against Manchester United on August 14.
And it’s a game against Premier League opposition at Molineux tonight.
The Hatters, managed by Rob Edwards of course, will be looking to send a message ahead of the 2023/24 season. Many expect them to just go straight back down to the Championship.
Here’s a team Lopetegui may go with this evening…
Predicted Wolves XI to face Luton – Doherty replaces Semedo, Gomes starts in midfield
In the last two pre-season games against FC Porto and Celtic, Lopetegui has gone fairly strong.
It has been an indication as to where the Spaniard’s head is at right now.
Seemingly, he wants his strongest team to build momentum.
There may not be too many changes to the side that started against Celtic.
Jose Sa will probably continue, and the back four may have a couple of changes, with Matt Doherty firstly replacing Nelson Semedo.
Doherty was bright against Celtic and won the penalty for Wolves’ equaliser.
He impressed Dave Edwards with his cameo, and maybe he will have caught Lopetegui’s eye too. It would be good for the manager to see the 31-year-old from the start of a game.
Rayan Ait-Nouri might get the nod over Hugo Bueno, with Craig Dawson and Max Kilman continuing in the middle.
In midfield, we could see a three of Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes and Matheus Cunha playing ahead of them in the number 10 role.
‘All-action’ midfielder Gomes hasn’t featured a great deal so far in pre-season, but the £15 million man could replace Joe Hodge tonight.
Out wide, we could see Matheus Nunes on the right and Pablo Sarabia on the left. Sarabia may well interchange with Cunha in the middle.
And through the middle, Fabio Silva might get a chance to lead the line from the start.
Silva made an impressive cameo appearance against Celtic.
The 21-year-old surely needs to be playing this game against a Premier League side from the start, with Sasa Kalajdzic to perhaps come on in the second-half.
Wolves (4-3-3): Sa/Doherty, Dawson, Kilman, Bueno/Lemina, Gomes, Cunha/Nunes, Silva, Sarabia.