Wolves take on Brighton in the third round of the Carabao Cup tonight, and fans are hoping for a response to the weekend defeat by Newcastle United.
Wanderers lost 2-1 to the Magpies, after taking the lead at Molineux.
It was a tough result to take after Wolves had played fairly well, and it is now important to try and bounce back.
It’s Bright at the Amex for Wolves in the Carabao Cup third round – and Gary O’Neil has confirmed that wholesale changes will be made for this game.
Wolves team news ahead of Carabao Cup clash with Brighton
Wolves have only had a few days to get ready for this game.
Having been in action on Sunday, a few players are carrying knocks heading into tonight’s match and will not be involved.
O’Neil has already suggested that Craig Dawson and Yerson Mosquera are both big doubt, while Toti Gomes is almost certainly out with a hamstring issue.
Rayan Ait-Nouri rolled his ankle against Newcastle and is also set to miss out.
Andre – who impressed on his debut and drew praise from O’Neil after the game – also had to make way against Newcastle due to cramp, so he could be another player to miss out against the Seagulls.
Wolves predicted lineup vs Brighton
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this team selection will be who plays in goal.
Sam Johnstone appears to have the number one jersey now, with Jose Sa named on the bench against Newcastle. If Dan Bentley – who signed a new deal yesterday – happens to play against Brighton, that would surely point to an exit in January for Sa.
O’Neil has confirmed that Santi Bueno will start, and it could well be that we see young Alfie Pond for the first time due to the fitness issues of the others. The 20-year-old has previously made one cameo appearance for the first-team in last season’s Carabao Cup against Blackpool.
On the left, Matt Doherty could start with Pedro Lima to feature on the right.
One would imagine Tommy Doyle will be brought into the midfield to freshen things up, possibly alongside Mario Lemina.
Pablo Sarabia may come in as a number 10 having not seen too much action so far this term.
In attack, O’Neil could go with something like Hwang Hee-chan down the left, Rodrigo Gomes on the right and Goncalo Guedes through the middle.
Guedes, of course, hit a brace in the last round and is probably a good bet to return to the starting XI in place of Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Predicted Wolves XI (4-2-3-1): Sa/Lima, Bueno, Pond, Doherty/Doyle, Lemina/Rodrigo, Sarabia, Hwang/Guedes.