Wolves head to Portman Road for a relegation six-pointer against Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.
Vitor Pereira’s men strengthened their survival hopes on Tuesday as Wolves beat West Ham 1-0 to move 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
However, after Ipswich secured a shock win against Bournemouth on Wednesday, the buffer has now been cut to nine points, making this game massive.
Wolves have a 0.76% chance of relegation with eight games to go, according to Opta, yet this match against the Tractor Boys is potentially season-defining.
Should the Wanderers secure all three points, they will be safe for another campaign, but a win for Kieran McKenna’s side would reduce the gap to just six and give supporters a potentially anxious end to the season.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
Andy Madley named on VAR for Ipswich vs Wolves
It’s a huge game for both sides, but particularly for Ipswich, who will be almost dead and buried if they fail to grab all three points.
That is why the refereeing appointments are crucial for this fixture, with the Premier League announcing that Peter Bankes is the referee, Sam Barrott is the fourth official and Andy Madley is on VAR duty.
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Madley has taken charge of more Wolves games than any other club, with the Wanderers winning seven, drawing six and losing 12 of their matches.
The last time he refereed a fixture involving Pereira’s side was Wolves’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa in February, and now the 41-year-old is on VAR for their visit to Ipswich.
Since becoming a top-level official, Madley hasn’t been too far from controversy and supporters of the Midlands side will remember a costly error he made in a fixture previously.
Madley failed to award Raul Jimenez penalty vs Newcastle in 2023
In March 2023, Wolves faced off against Newcastle United at St James’ Park. A trip to the North East is never the easiest place to go and it was made even harder when a huge decision went against the Old Gold.
During the 20th minute of the fixture, Nick Pope brought Raul Jimenez down in the penalty area. There was clear contact from the England goalkeeper on the Mexican but no spot kick was awarded by Madley, or even Tony Harrington on VAR.
Pundit Jamie Redknapp was baffled by Madley’s decision, who adjudged Pope to not have fouled Jimenez, and this has had a big impact on the outcome of the game.
Wolves, who were battling against relegation, ended up losing the game 2-1, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of then-manager Julen Lopetegui.
It wasn’t the only time during that campaign when Wolves were left frustrated by the referee, as Madley disallowed Toti Gomes’ goal against Liverpool.
Indeed, those two decisions from the official are unforgettable and hopefully, he doesn’t make a similar blunder on VAR this weekend.