This season has been far from straightforward for Wolves. A behind the scenes meeting was held last week in a bid to resolve their fortunes, something that magnifies the severity of their struggles.
Nuno Santo’s side have been way off the pace and after changing their formation in a bid to score more goals, it has had disastrous consequences.
The Old Gold have kept just two clean sheets in the league since October and their hopes of securing European football is now fading away.
That being said, they look revived in their last two matches. Evidently, that chat behind closed doors has worked wonders as they beat Arsenal and drew with Leicester.
Though, they will face an uphill task when they face Southampton in the FA Cup on Thursday evening. The Saints have shipped 12 goals in their last two outings so will be eager to bounce back and prove themselves once again.
So, how will Nuno’s team line-up at Molineux tonight?
In our predicted XI, we’re tipping the manager to make just two changes to his team. Considering their injuries and the fact they’re taking on Premier League opposition, you’d think Nuno will go pretty strong.
One of the changes is in goal where veteran 34-year-old John Ruddy – their ever-reliable cup stopper – comes into the side ahead of Rui Patricio.
Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcal are injured so Ki-Jana Hoever fills in at left wing-back. Jonny returned from injury last time out but played just 45 minutes. Thus, we think he should be rested again after a fairly lengthy injury lay off. They need to protect him at all costs.
There are no changes beyond that with Willian Jose leading the line again. He is searching for his first Wolves strike since arriving on loan from Real Sociedad last month.
Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have been among the goals lately so keep their places in midfield with Leander Dendoncker playing in defence once again.