Wolves are preparing for a crucial encounter against Everton on Saturday evening with an opportunity to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat.
Wolves lost to Bournemouth on penalties, ending their hopes of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals after Matheus Cunha was sent off for lashing out at Milos Kerkez.
Cunha is expected to miss the next three games at least, including clashes against the Toffees, Southampton and West Ham.
The Brazilian is Vitor Pereira’s top scorer in all competitions with 15 and will be sorely missed for a vital fixture run-in.
However, whilst Paul Merson is predicting a Wolves defeat against Everton in the absence of Cunha, Chris Sutton has made a strong case for a different prediction.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Chris Sutton issues Wolves vs Everton prediction
Wolves were unfortunate to lose against Bournemouth on Saturday, and perhaps things would have been different if their striker was available to take a penalty.
Cunha has been involved in 47% of Wolves goals this term, underlining his importance and explaining why Merson has predicted a defeat.
But whilst there are worries of Pereira’s men crumbling without their talisman, former Blackburn striker Sutton thinks the Old Gold can secure an invaluable 1-1 draw.
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“I am not going to predict an Everton defeat here, but this game smells of a draw to me even though Wolves will be without the suspended Matheus Cunha,” Sutton told BBC Sport.
“Cunha lost the plot at the end of their FA Cup defeat by Bournemouth and is waiting to discover what his punishment will be.
“Wolves are five points ahead of Ipswich and Leicester, who are 18th and 19th, so they do have some breathing space above the bottom three.
“Five points feels like a massive advantage at the moment, but we will find out over the next few weeks exactly how much Cunha has cost them in their fight against relegation.”
Wolves have a strong record against Everton, losing just one of their previous seven home matches, and they’ll hope to continue that run this weekend.
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As highlighted by Sutton, Wolves have some breathing space above the bottom three, currently boasting a five-point advantage on Ipswich Town and Leicester City.
Pereira will see a home match against Everton as an opportunity to extend that gap, as while the visitors are unbeaten in seven, it is a winnable game.
Fortunately, their rivals both have difficult fixtures this weekend. Ipswich travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday, and then Leicester head to Chelsea on Sunday.
Ipswich could realistically close the gap to just two points before Wolves kick off at 8pm by beating Palace, although a loss would hand the Old Gold extra fuel for three points.
Most importantly, Pereira’s side need to take care of themselves in the battle for survival, as fate is in their hands.