Here at SportsCasting, we have the Wolves vs Bournemouth preview, prediction, latest team news and predicted lineups ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash.
Wolves Vs Bournemouth Preview
After impressing in recent weeks, Wolves are really delivering the bite that their supporters were so desperately missing at the start of the season.
Manager Gary O’Neil will be hoping that Bournemouth are his next victims when they travel to Molineux on GW13. Especially after he was surprisingly given the boot from the Vitality Stadium in 2023.
O’Neil had successfully secured the Cherries Premier League status by winning five of the last seven matches in 2022/23. However, football is a brutal business and the 41-year-old was given his p45.
From O’Neil’s perspective, it’s all water under the bridge now. His main focus will be to obtain a third successive top-flight win on Saturday afternoon. No matter the opposition.
Last time out, the brilliant Matheus Cunha hit a stunning brace as the Old Gold thrashed Fulham 4-1 at Craven Cottage. Prior to that, Southampton were beaten 2-0 at Molineux before the international break.
In fact, avoiding defeat against Andoni Iraola’s side will mean it is five unbeaten for Wolves. Considering they won none of their opening ten fixtures, O’Neil has certainly got his players firing on all cylinders.
Interestingly, Saturday’s visitors have won 1-0 on their previous two visits to the Black Country. O’Neil was in charge in February 2023 when Marcus Tavernier netted the winner.
Also, the last side to stop Wolves scoring at home is in fact the Cherries. The victory last April was settled by a first-half Antoine Semenyo strike.
On home turf on Saturday.
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 27, 2024
Cherries Looking To Return To Winning Ways
A win at Molineux again on Saturday will mean Bournemouth have won three consecutive away games against the same opposition for the first time in the Premier League.
However, the Cherries away form has been particularly concerning this season. Ironically, the last clean sheet they kept on the road in the top-flight came at WV1.
The only away victory in 2024/25 was the stunning 3-2 comeback win against Everton in August. The only other point that has been registered came against Aston Villa in a 1-1 draw in October.
Last time out, Brighton got the better of Andoni Iraola’s side at the Vitality Stadium. Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma netted in a 2-1 win. David Brooks scored a last minute consolation for the hosts.
The last game on the road saw Bournemouth lose a 3-2 thriller at Brentford. The Cherries had twice taken the lead before succumbing to defeat.
Saturday’s clash will be just the fifth meeting at Molineux in the Premier League era. Amazingly, not one of the previous four encounters has seen both sides score in the same match.
As it stands, Iraola finds his side in 13th position in the table. A win would see them leapfrog Manchester United – for 24 hours at least.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash, the best football betting sites in the UK price Wolves at 9/5. The draw is available at 27/10 with Bournemouth 6/4.
Wolves Vs Bournemouth Team News
Last Saturday, Wolves dismantled Fulham despite having a plethora of injuries to navigate. The quintet of Craig Dawson, Sam Johnstone, Pablo Sarabia, Santiago Bueno and Pedro Lima are all pushing for recalls.
If passed fit, Dawson is the only likely change that Gary O’Neil will make to his starting XI from last weekend. The defender could replace Rodrigo Gomes with Rayan Ait-Nouri being moved further up the pitch.
Jørgen Strand Larsen is expected to lead the attack. He will be supported by Brazilian star Matheus Cunha and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth will be missing key man Antoine Semenyo who picked up his fifth booking of the season last weekend. However, Ryan Christie returns from his one-match ban.
David Brooks is pushing to start after scoring his first goal of the season against Brighton but Andoni Iraola may opt for Christie as a straight swap for Semenyo.
On the injury front, Julian Araujo, Alex Scott and Luis Sinisterra are all still ruled out. A return for the trio is likely by mid-December.
Wolves Vs Bournemouth Predicted Lineups
Wolves (3-4-2-1): Sa; Lemina, Toti, Dawson; Semedo, Andre, J. Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Cunha; Larsen
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Adams, Cook; Kluivert, Christie, Tavernier; Evanilson
Wolves Vs Bournemouth Prediction
As tempting as it is to sit on the fence for this one, we are predicting Wolves to nick all three points in a tight encounter. Especially as form favours Gary O’Neil’s men.
Bournemouth have endured back-to-back defeats and will certainly miss Antoine Semenyo. We do think that both teams will certainly score at Molineux. A first in the Premier League era.
Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Bournemouth
