We look at three decisions Gary O’Neil must get right if Wolves are to come out victorious in their FA Cup fourth-round fixture against West Brom.
Wolves travel to the Hawthorns to face West Brom on Sunday in the first meeting between the sides in front of spectators for 12 years. It is a massive occasion for all involved as both teams aim to progress into the round of 16.
O’Neil’s side is looking to extend their good run of form which has seen them go six games unbeaten in all competitions. This includes a 3-2 victory over Brentford to reach this stage.
The magnitude of the tie has not been lost on the squad with the manager and captain Max Kilman both understanding the importance of a victory on the weekend.
Despite West Brom being in the Championship, they cannot be underestimated. The Baggies sit fifth in the second tier and are unbeaten at the Hawthorns against Wolves for almost 10,000 days.
If O’Neil wishes to break this terrible spell against their rivals, here are three decisions he has to get right if the Molineux side are to progress into the next round.
Pablo Sarabia to start in West Brom v Wolves?
The winger has truly come into his own in recent months. After finding it difficult to break into the starting XI, a magical substitute appearance in the 2-1 victory over Spurs highlighted how good Sarabia truly is.
Since then, the Spaniard has been one of O’Neil’s most creative players and has already racked up eight assists this season, the jointed most alongside Pedro Neto.
However, in the week, the manager confirmed that Sarabia had picked up a knock and hadn’t trained as of Thursday.
With Jean-Ricner Bellegarde also able to play out wide, O’Neil needs to decide whether to risk Sarabia or go with the Frenchman for Sunday’s tie.
Rayan Ait-Nouri to start in West Brom v Wolves?
Another one of Wolves’ best performers this campaign. The team has highly missed Ait-Nouri not being out on the pitch since he was away with Algeria for AFCON.
However, earlier this week, O’Neil received a boost as it was confirmed that he would be returning back to England after they were eliminated from the tournament.
Matt Doherty has been occupying the left wing-back spot since his absence. The manager now needs to decide whether Ait-Nouri is ready to straight back into the starting XI or if Doherty will start on Sunday.
O’Neil needs to make minimal changes for West Brom v Wolves
Apart from a few changes, O’Neil needs to stick with the same starting line-up that has recently found form.
The club cannot get compliance against West Brom and make changes for the tie. The Baggies will be more than up for the fixture knowing that all the pressure is on Wolves to get the result.
Therefore, players such as Jose Sa have to start and O’Neil cannot start rotating the goalkeeper or any other position on the pitch to try out other members of the squad.
Thankfully, the manager didn’t really do this against Brentford so it is doubtful that he will do it on Sunday.