Chris Sutton has made his pre-match prediction for Wolves clash against Crystal Palace this weekend.
It’s the penultimate match of Wolves’ Premier League campaign and on a whole, it has been a successful one.
Gary O’Neil has worked wonders with an injury-hit squad and perhaps if he didn’t suffer so many casualties since the turn of the year, Wanderers would be in European contention.
The Old Gold are certainly far better off than people envisaged, and while supporters will be desperate to end their season on a high, recent form suggests it could peter out.
Wolves have won just one of their last eight games, a 2-1 victory over Luton, while visitors Crystal Palace have won five successive games.
Oliver Glasner’s men thrashed Manchester United 4-0 last time out and will be looking to leapfrog O’Neil’s side in the table with a win this afternoon.
Chris Sutton predicts Wolves vs Crystal Palace
BBC pundit Chris Sutton has previewed the upcoming league meeting between Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Unsurprisingly, the former Norwich City striker expects the Eagles to continue their newly found momentum and record their sixth successive victory.
Sutton has predicted Crystal Palace to win 2-1 and wrote (BBC Sport): “Having Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise fit has obviously helped the Eagles a lot in an attacking sense, and they are creating lots of chances for Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“I can see those three having more joy against a Wolves team who have gone off the boil in recent weeks and are stumbling towards the end of the season.”
Palace are bang in form at the moment and recent history paints a happy picture for the visitors, winning five of their last six meetings against Wolves, including a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture.
Wolves defensive woes without Craig Dawson
Glasner’s front three of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta have helped the Eagles score 15 goals in their last six matches, with Mateta scoring five goals in his last four appearances.
The Frenchman is the most in-form striker in the Premier League, aside from Erling Haaland, and he’ll be hungry for more goals this afternoon.
Wolves’ defence has fallen apart since Craig Dawson suffered an injury in the loss to Newcastle in March, conceding 17 goals in their last nine matches.
Dawson’s presence at the heart of the back three has been hugely missed, perhaps more so than the absence of Pedro Neto, with the Englishman responsible for bringing the best out of Max Kilman and Toti Gomes.
O’Neil has missed his leadership expertise and defensive brilliance during this testing period, which has only accentuated his importance to Wolves.