On Friday night, two of the Premier League’s most exciting teams go toe-to-toe as Marcelo Bielsa’s flamboyant Leeds United take on Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves as both sides jostle amongst the pack for places in the top half of the table.
Things aren’t plain sailing for Santo’s men. Like many teams this season, his squad has been hampered by injury perhaps leading to their drop off in form after consecutive 7th placed finishes. The Wanderers are missing a host of key men which might make repeating their 1-0 win over Leeds earlier in the season difficult.
The man who scored the winner in the tight battle at Elland Road is still Wolves’ main absentee. Raul Jimenez was one of the Premier League’s finest strikers over the last two seasons and was still scoring goals of real magnitude this campaign before his collision with David Luiz at the Emirates. The clash of heads resulted in a fractured skull which has seen the striker out since November. He caused all sorts of problems at Elland Road but will not feature in Friday’s game.
Worsening Wolves’ woes up top is the absence of winger Daniel Podence. However, if Pedro Neto continues his superb form he may carry the Wanderers through. He was superb against Southampton on Valentine’s Day. Joining him will likely be Adama Traore. The powerful winger could challenge Leeds’ at times leaky defence.
Another huge loss for Wolves – this time at the other end of the pitch – is Willy Boly. The centre-back has been more than solid since joining Wolves from Porto and featured in their Squad of the Century as voted for by the fans last May.
The centre-half is set to miss the game owing to a thigh injury. A key feature of Wolves’ impressive return to the Premier League over the last two seasons he’ll be a huge miss. Knowing Leeds United’s attacking power – with Patrick Bamford the 6th top scorer in the league with 12 this campaign – it might be an absence the Whites exploit. That said, in Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker, Wolves still have good options when it comes to their defence which will no doubt be led by skipper Conor Cody.
So, despite the absence of a few key men, Wolves are still a force to be reckoned with. A double over Leeds could still be on the cards even without three stars.
