Wolverhampton Wanderers could be without as many as five players when they visit Everton on Boxing Day.
New boss Julen Lopetegui will take charge of Wolves for the first time in the Premier League when he brings the rock-bottom side to Goodison Park on Monday, looking for a change in fortunes.
But he will have to do it without Pedro Neto, Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic, who are all sidelined with injuries. Lopetegui's problems don't end there, however. The Spaniard will run late fitness checks on defender Jonny Castro Otto and midfielder Boubacar Traore but he remains hopeful that the pair can be involved in the match at Goodison, despite both missing the midweek EFL Cup clash against Gillingham.
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Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Lopetegui said: “They have worked in the middle of the session today. We are going to see tomorrow if they are going to be ready. We hope they are going to arrive for the next match. We are optimistic about them.”
One good bit of news for Wolves is the absence of Conor Coady. The England defender is unable to turn out for the Blues because under the terms of his loan deal, he is unable to play against his parent club.
Despite their poor start to the season, which led to the sacking of Bruno Lage in October, basement club Wolves are only four points behind Everton in the table after 15 matches.
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