Wolves host Bolton at Molineux in Championship Tuesday night clash
Key takeaways
- Wolves host Bolton at Molineux on Tuesday night. Kickoff is at 7:45 pm BST.
- Wolves sit fifth in the Championship with 14 points. Bolton sit 17th with 10 points.
- Both teams lost their last game. Both need a win to reset their week.
Wolves host Bolton at Molineux on Tuesday night. The game is in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Kickoff is at 7:45 pm BST.
It is matchday 10 of the league season.
Both teams come in off defeats. Wolves lost 1-0 at Middlesbrough on Saturday. Bolton lost 2-1 at home to Stoke City.
Tuesday is a quick chance to bounce back.
What happened
The confirmed lineups are out. Both teams use a 4-2-3-1 shape. That means four defenders, two holding midfielders, three attack-minded midfielders, and one striker.
Wolves start with Jose Sa in goal. Trippier, Djiga, Krejci, and Bueno form the back line. James and Andre sit in midfield.
Bellegarde, Fer Lopez, and Mane play behind striker Adam Armstrong.
Bolton start with Bazunu in goal. Larrazabal, Brunt, Toal, and Famewo defend. Sheehan and Erhahon sit in midfield.
Iling-Junior, Ito, and Gale support striker Theo Bair.
The benches hold key options too. Wolves can call on Munetsi, Toti Gomes, and Tommy Doyle. Bolton can call on Sam Dalby, Ryan Hardie, and Ben Davies.
Dalby and Gale have three league goals each this season. They are Bolton's joint top scorers with Gale.
Injuries shaped both squads. Wolves miss Raul Jimenez, who is still out. Boubacar Traore and Bertrand Traore are also out.
Rodrigo Gomes felt a foot problem at Middlesbrough. He was taken off early in that game. Jordan James and Fer Lopez are fit again.
Both came back from national team duty with small knocks. Both came through sub roles at Middlesbrough with no harm.
Bolton got one boost. Luca Stephenson is back fit after a thigh problem. He had been out since the first day of the season.
Chris Forino missed the Stoke game with an injury. He is a doubt for this trip.
Why it matters
The table tells a clear story. Wolves sit fifth with 14 points. They have scored 15 goals this season.
They have lost only twice in the league. Their home form is strong. They are yet to lose at Molineux this season.
They beat West Brom at home last time out. Fer Lopez scored the goal in that game.
Bolton sit 17th with 10 points from nine games. They have three wins, one draw, and five losses. They have scored 12 goals.
They have let in 17 goals. That gap of minus five is a worry. Their defence has leaked goals all season.
Recent form points the same way. Wolves had won back-to-back games before the Middlesbrough loss. They had taken seven points from nine before that trip.
Bolton won at Norwich 4-3 in a wild game. Ito scored the fourth goal in that win. But they then lost at home to Stoke.
Stoke played with ten men for 70 minutes in that game. Bolton still lost 2-1.
The home record also favours Wolves. In their last two home games against Bolton, they have one win and one draw. They have zero defeats in that run.
Their attack at home has been sharp. They have scored 2.33 goals per home game in recent matches. They have also made about 17 shots per home game.
For Bolton, this is a test of nerve. A win would lift them up the table. A loss would keep them near the bottom half.
Their attack can score goals. Their defence must hold firm for once.
What happens next
The result will shape both clubs' weeks. A Wolves win would keep them in the top six hunt. It would also keep their home record clean.
A Bolton win would be a big scalp. It would move them four points closer to the top half.
The next games come fast in the Championship. Teams play twice a week at this stage. Points now ease the pressure later.
A draw would help neither side much. Both will want all three points.
For the other Championship tie on Tuesday night, read our Wrexham vs West Brom preview. For more English football this week, see Coventry's 4-1 win over Newcastle. A second Coventry vs Newcastle result piece covers the same night from a new angle.
Molineux has been a hard place to visit this season. Bolton must prove they can cope with it. Wolves must prove that the Middlesbrough loss was just a blip.
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