Everton travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday on the back of consecutive wins at their brand-new stadium over the past week.
There were no teething problems as David Moyes’s men recorded 2-0 wins over both Brighton & Hove Albion and Mansfield Town, but they now face a Wolves side buoyant from their first win of the campaign in midweek.
Match preview
It has not been an easy summer for anybody of a Wolves persuasion, with Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri leaving, while Jorgen Strand Larsen has also now expressed his desire to leave, but Vitor Pereira’s men came out fighting against West Ham United in the EFL Cup on Tuesday.
With a huge helping hand from Strand Larsen, who was the subject of a £50m bid from Newcastle United earlier in the week, Wolves battled back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Molineux, with the Norwegian striker scoring both goals to turn the tie on its head.
Wolves will play Everton again at home in the next round of the competition, so the two sides will look to suss each other out in this first meeting.
The hosts desperately need to get off the mark, after losing their first two Premier League matches, going down 4-0 here at home to Manchester City, before a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, where they had to play almost half of the afternoon with 10 men.
That means Wolves have taken just one point from their last six PL matches, the worst tally of any ever-present club in that time, after a poor finish to last season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira pictured on July 30, 2025
Wolves are also in danger of losing their first three matches of a Premier League season for just the third time, but it is the fourth time in five years they are pointless after two matches, so they are no strangers to slow starts.
Form in August has often evaded the Old Gold, especially at Molineux, where they are winless in 11 straight matches in this calendar month, a run which dates back to 2011.
The last three August Premier League matches at Molineux have all ended in defeat for Wolves, and they have conceded a whopping 14 goals in the process, losing 4-1 to Brighton, 6-2 to Chelsea and 4-0 to Man City.
A meagre 15 shots across their first two matches this season is cause for concern, especially if Strand Larsen leaves before the deadline, but 11-against-11, they should compete well with Everton.
Wolves have not lost to Everton in any of the five meetings here in front of a crowd since they were promoted back to the top flight in 2018.
The tide could be turning in Everton’s favour though, because after taking just one point in six meetings between 2021 and 2024, the Toffees claimed a 1-1 draw here last season after thumping Wolves 4-0 at home.
Everton's James Garner celebrates scoring against Brighton on August 24, 2025
It has been a hugely satisfactory week for Everton, who got over the blues of losing to Leeds United on the opening day by marking the opening of their new state-of-the-art home with a 2-0 victory over Brighton last weekend.
Jack Grealish made his debut and played a starring role, setting up both goals for Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner, as 50,000 Evertonians watched on and saw their side claim their first three points of the campaign.
Another fixture at Hill Dickinson soon followed, as Moyes’s men eased past Mansfield Town in the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, setting up that third-round tie here next month.
Entering the international break on the back of a third straight win would be a dream scenario for the Toffees, and their away form has certainly improved under Moyes.
Everton have won five of their last 10 Premier League away matches, and they have conceded one goal or fewer in each of their last 13 on the road, the best run since Man City did the same in 14 straight games when winning the title in 2021-22.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:
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Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):
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Everton Premier League form:
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Team News
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jorgen Strand Larsen on August 16, 2025
Despite the interest in Strand Larsen from elsewhere, the Wolves frontman is still expected to start here, even though he is keen to move to Newcastle before the deadline.
The Norwegian was one of a number of regular starters who were left on the bench from the outset in midweek, as Joao Gomes, David Moller Wolfe and Marshall Munetsi were allowed time to recuperate.
Toti Gomes was sent off at Bournemouth last weekend, but was able to serve his suspension against West Ham in the week, so he will be available again here.
Moyes also made a number of changes for their cup tie, but it would be no surprise to see him revert back to many of the players who started against Brighton.
The only change from last Sunday could be at left-back, where Vitaliy Mykolenko is available again after a brief absence, and his reintroduction to the side should allow James Garner to move back into midfield, with Tim Iroegbunam dropping out.
Thierno Barry has started both of Everton’s last two matches, playing an hour in each, and showing some fine moments that drew praise from pundits over the past week, and he should keep his place, despite Beto’s goalscoring impact from the bench on Wednesday.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Jose Sa; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti; Tchatchoua, Joao Gomes, Andre, Wolfe; Munesti, Strand Larsen, Arias
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry
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We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Everton
Everton have made a habit of crashing back down to earth spectacularly after a morale-boosting win, but as long as they do not revert back to the type of performance seen at Leeds, they have a good chance of taking something here.
Wolves would potentially be happy with a point to get off the mark, as they still need to strengthen in the market, and also keep hold of Strand Larsen, so a confident Everton will not be ideal visitors.
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