Chris Sutton has shared his take on Wolves' upcoming home match with Burnley.placeholder image
Chris Sutton has shared his take on Wolves' upcoming home match with Burnley. | Getty Images
Wolves host Burnley in a blockbuster match at the bottom of the Premier League table
Wolves are the only team in England’s top four divisions without a win. They sit bottom after eight matches, with six defeats and two draws - leaving their eight-season status in the top-flight in tremendous jeopardy.
Vitor Pereira’s side looked to be showing signs of encouragement with draws against Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur before the international break but they slipped back to unwanted habits against Sunderland by being beaten 2-0 - ramping up the pressure on the Wolves boss to turn things around.
Wolves are five points away from safety but have the perfect chance to bridge the gap by facing 17th placed Burnley. A win in the fixture allows the West Midlands outfit to claw towards safety while a defeat is unthinkable and would leave them with a mountain to climb in the coming months.
Chris Sutton shares encouraging Wolves vs Burnley verdict
BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton believes Wolves are capable of breaking their duck against Burnley by finally claiming a 2-0 triumph and their first win of the season.
He explained: “Wolves have to win eventually and at home to Burnley feels like the game it really has to happen for them - their fans will definitely be thinking that.
“Burnley will be eyeing victory too, though. They will take great encouragement from their win over Leeds last time out, and they could do Wolves a lot of damage if they beat them. All things considered, it would be easy to go for a draw, but I am going to back Wolves to break their duck.”
Charlatans guitarist Mark Collins, who supports Manchester United, however, was slightly more pessimistic about affairs. He predicted a dull and nervy 0-0 draw against two sides that have simply found goals very hard to come by this term.
Can Wolves return to winning ways?
It’s now been nearly six months since Wolves last won a top-flight match. That victory came in comprehensive fashion as the Old Gold thrashed Leicester City 3-0 to climb to 13th in the league table. It was the final victory in an immense six-match winning run for Vitor Pereira which endeared him to the Wolves faithful and convinced many that he was the man to lead the club to brighter days.
Wolves have struggled since that victory with Mathues Cunha, the man who opened the scoring that day, leaving the club along with captain Nelson Semedo and key Rayan Ait-Nouri, who got an assist that day, all departing over the summer. The Old Gold at this moment need more from plenty of individuals, including Jorgen Strand Larsen, who has looked a shadow of the player he was, since seeing his summer move to Newcastle United not materialise.
The service to Strand Larsen also has to improve - and a home game against Burnley, while far from easy, should represent a good chance to try and do it. Ultimately, Wolves need to get their best players into the game and improve their overall creativity. As it stands, they have the fourth worst XG in the entire Premier League despite spending more time trailing the match than any other team in the division.
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