Wolves are back in action on Saturday afternoon as Gary O’Neil’s side face a trip to North London to battle Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Wolves take a trip to the capital on Saturday afternoon as Gary O’Neil’s side face Spurs for the final time in the Premier League this season.
The Old Gold will be hoping for a similar result to the one recorded at Molineux in November, where injury-time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina secured three points.
There’s hope that O’Neil’s squad can get the job done away from home, in what will be the fifth contest between the two sides in the league since Spurs’ move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Wolves take with them a 50% win percentage at the £1bn ground, winning two and losing two, a percentage that the manager will hope to increase on Saturday.
Wolves team news vs Spurs
There is hope that Hwang Hee-chan will make his first appearance for Wolves in 2024 after being absent from the previous fixture against Brentford.
Before the concern over a slight injury to his calf, the 28-year-old was on international duty with South Korea at the Asia Cup, leaving O’Neil without his presence in the final third.
While the visitors will be boosted by the return of their top scorer in the Premier League, they will be without Matheus Cunha who provides an equally as devastating threat to Hwang.
The Brazilian will be out of action after sustaining a “fairly significant” hamstring injury, although not all hope is lost for Wolves in attack without their in-form forward.
How Wolves can expose one major Spurs weakness
Losing Cunha is a blow for O’Neil but the show must go on and the 24-year-old isn’t the limit to Wolves’ danger up front.
In Hwang and Pedro Neto, the manager has an abundance of pace and power to work with, something that could expose one of Spurs’ favoured tactical traps.
Ange Postecoglou has made no secret of his love to play a high-line, saying that his side will always “have a go” after their lack of tactical flexibility was exposed by Chelsea earlier in the season.
While Spurs have the tactical know-how to benefit from playing their back line so high when in possession, it’s an area that can certainly be prayed upon by sides blessed with quick attackers.
A switch in possession, a well-executed ball and a pacey forward are three ingredients that could give Wolves the ability to break the Lilywhites, with Hwang and Neto having the ability to provide all of the above.
The “pure gold” ability of the 23-year-old, as he was once praised by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and the efficiency of the Korean in front of goal can hand O’Neil an advantage, despite Cunha’s absence.
When it comes to manoeuvring into space behind the opposition, not many are as much of a handful as Neto, who records the second-highest top speed in the Premier League this season with a sprint speed of 36.86 km/h.
If O’Neil sets his side up with the threat of the Portugal international in support of Hwang, who is one of the most prolific forwards in the league based on his numbers this term, Spurs could crack.
The manager’s final selection will be revealed before kick-off on Saturday, but one certain thing is that the hosts will be well aware of the pace the Old Gold possess.