For the final time this season, Wolves face an away trip in the Premier League, as Crystal Palace await the Old Gold.
Only two games of the 2024/25 campaign remain, as Wolves prepare to travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.
In the meeting between the two sides at Molineux, Wolves drew 2-2 with Palace, in what proved to be the final draw of Gary O’Neil’s tenure.
Joao Gomes was Wolves’ standout against the Eagles back in November, and will hope to be again, in what is set to be a tight contest between the clubs sitting in 12th and 14th.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Oliver Glasner’s verdict on Wolves has to change under Vitor Pereira
When Palace and Wolves drew in the West Midlands, it was an equally contested game, as both sides had chances to win.
What proved to be the decisive factor was Palace’s ability to punish Wolves from set-play situations, which had become a theme under O’Neil.
After the game, Palace boss Oliver Glasner revealed that his team ‘knew’ that they could punish the Old Gold from dead-ball situations, which was a humiliating review for O’Neil to receive.
“After the set play, we knew Wolves would struggle with them, so we scored two from them,” Glasner told the media in November.
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The Eagles scored twice from set pieces on the day, once from a free kick and once from a corner, putting pressure on the hosts at every opportunity from set-play.
Vitor Pereira’s new-look Wolves side will be eager to change Glasner’s opinion when the Old Gold travel to South London on Tuesday night.
Fortunately, there’s a good chance that the visitors will do so, as Wolves have grown to be more defensively stable under Pereira’s guidance.
Pep Guardiola’s warning to Wolves about Crystal Palace
At the point of O’Neil’s exit in December, Wolves had conceded an eye-watering 40 goals in the Premier League after 16 games.
In two more games than the former Wolves manager had this season, Pereira’s side have only conceded 24 times, telling of where the Old Gold have improved.
Still, there’s work to do when it comes to defending set pieces, and if there’s one team that’ll threaten Wolves in that area, it’s Crystal Palace.
After the Eagles beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup, Pep Guardiola had a message for Wolves regarding how strong Glasner’s side is from set play.
“They are difficult to control at throw-ins and corners and free-kicks, but we could not score in the last two games,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference.
Wolves will hope that Palace are nursing sore heads from celebrating winning their first ever major trophy, with a much-needed three points on offer at Selhurst Park in midweek.