Wolves are back in action this evening in the FA Cup fifth round as Gary O’Neil’s side prepare to welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Molineux, a fixture that could see academy jewel Nathan Fraser secure some minutes.
Wolves return to action in the FA Cup after the highs of progressing in the fourth round with a win over West Brom in the Black Country derby.
Gary O’Neil’s side face a tougher challenge this time round, with Premier League rivals Brighton set to pay a visit to Molineux this evening.
It was only on Sunday that Wolves were last in action at home as the win over Sheffield United sent the Old Gold further up the table, with another test in store in the league on Saturday with a trip to St James’ Park.
The fixtures are coming agonisingly thick and fast for the Midlands club, who despite having a mostly fit squad available, will struggle to rotate due to a lack of squad depth.
Wolves team news vs Brighton
Speaking to the media ahead of the FA Cup fixture, O’Neil explained that his squad will face a ‘tough test’ to keep up with the demanding schedule ahead.
“We’re getting to a point of the season where it’s getting tough for some of them and we need to keep pushing and keep going all the way to the end of May.”
“It will be a tough test, the next 12/13 games, but we need to keep the group together and see what we can achieve.”
Despite there being little room to rotate while challenging to stay in the FA Cup and the race for a European spot in the Premier League, the manager could make one slight change to help rest one key player this evening.
Why Nathan Fraser should start against Brighton
Hwang Hee-chan has played just two games for Wolves in 2024 due to both his involvement at the Asia Cup as well as missing one fixture after his return due to a slight niggle.
As well as recovering from the tournament and his injury concern, Lee Naylor shared his concern over Hwang’s performance level this year, an element that could see O’Neil rest the forward this evening.
While Wolves’ squad is short on numbers, they do have a suitable striker to replace Hwang, with tonight providing an ideal opportunity for Nathan Fraser.
The 19-year-old could be a “powerful” asset, as he was described by the club’s media, with him already impressing when given the chance at senior level this term.
Against Brentford in the third round replay, the teenager found himself on the scoresheet in his first FA Cup appearance for Wolves, as well as claiming a goal and an assist in the Carabao Cup.
If the youngster was to have another good game against Premier League opposition, Fraser could hand O’Neil an added option to field up-front, in a move that could prove to be fundamental to solving Wolves’ lack of depth going forward.