Wolves face a daunting trip to Newcastle United on Wednesday night as Vitor Pereira’s men aim to pull off an upset.
The Old Gold were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest on their last Premier League outing, and the upcoming fixtures have been causing Vitor Pereira sleepless nights.
Following Wolves clash against Newcastle, Pereira’s men play teams who are either challenging for Europe or the title, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Wolves must take some points from those tough games, otherwise, they could be dragged back into the bottom three.
So, with that said, Pereira must get his team selection nailed on. Matheus Cunha will return to the starting lineup after his two-match ban while another returning player should remain on the bench.
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Vitor Pereira must start Rodrigo Gomes over Nelson Semedo
During a time when Pereira’s squad has been tested with injuries, some of his younger stars have stepped up to the plate, including Rodrigo Gomes.
The 21-year-old made just his second start under Pereira against Nottingham Forest and Dave Edwards dubbed Gomes as ‘exciting’ despite the defeat.
The Portuguese livewire was used as a left wing-back in that fixture but in the FA Cup clash against Bristol City, the former Braga star was deployed as a right wing-back and he flourished.
Wolves fans compared Gomes to Pedro Neto after he terrorized his Championship opponents, scoring a well-taken goal and impressing with his all-round display.
Gomes, who was dubbed ‘infectious’ by expert Liam Keen, deserves to keep his spot in the starting lineup despite the return of Nelson Semedo.
Pereira confirmed Semedo is fit to play against Newcastle however, dropping the fleet-footed youngster wouldn’t be justified, leaving the £80k-a-week star on the bench.
What Vitor Pereira has said about Rodrigo Gomes
The arrival of Pereira at Molineux has allowed Gomes a new lease of life, with the versatile player finally showing why Wolves signed him from Braga in the summer.
Supporters have been impressed with the Portugal under-21 star, with it becoming clear Gary O’Neil made a mistake not playing Gomes regularly.
Now establishing himself as a key first-team star, the Wolves manager hasn’t just been impressed with his quality on the pitch but also his demeanour and the fact he’s always smiling.
“He’s small, he’s not a tall guy, but he has a lot of energy and a lot of happiness,” Pereira told Wolves official channels.
“When you look at a player and you feel that this player is very happy as a person, smiling every time, good energy to help the team.
“If he plays and if he starts, he feels OK, if he’s starts on the bench, he is the same and he will try to help the team. This is the kind of personality that I like to work with.”
So, whilst Pereira admits Gomes would be fine with being dropped to the bench, he should retain his place in the side ahead of Semedo.