Wolverhampton Wanderers have the opportunity to further cement their place in the Premier League top half as they take on Brentford at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.
The Old Gold leapfrogged Chelsea last weekend with a stunning 4-2 away victory at Stamford Bridge, spearheaded by a glorious hat-trick from Brazil international Matheus Cunha. Confidence will be sky-high after that but Gary O'Neil's men must maintain composure as they face Brentford for a fourth time in the space of six weeks.
Wanderers cannot seem to get enough of the Bees as the two teams played one another on December 27 in the league before two clashes in the Emirates FA Cup in January. Wolves came out on top twice in two five-goal thrillers, while the match sandwiched in between was a 1-1 draw.
Brentford, who have recorded just one win in their last five outings across all competitions, have struggled this season. Thomas Frank has had a tricky time of it as Ivan Toney has only just returned from a long-term suspension and Bryan Mbuemo has been sidelined with a serious ankle issue.
O'Neil will still show plenty of respect for Saturday's opposition, though, with a near full-strength lineup expected. Hwang Hee-chan is back following his international duty at the Asia Cup but an issue could halt an immediate return to the XI.
With all of that in mind, here's the Wolves team we predict will take on Brentford at Molineux.
9. RW - Pablo Sarabia
Sarabia will have to put on one of his best Wolves performances if he wants to stay in the XI for the coming weeks as Hwang is back from the Asia Cup. One issue for the South Korean, however, is he’s only had a couple of days to recover. O’Neil is likely to ease him back rather than throw him straight into the XI. | Wolves via Getty Images
10. LW - Matheus Cunha
The hat-trick hero has been a revelation this season and simply has to start every game he’s available for. What a player. | Wolves via Getty Images
11. ST - Pedro Neto
Neto has been the subject of an experiment as O’Neil has tried him at striker with no natural number nines available. Neto did well at Chelsea and so he will likely continue in that role, albeit slightly unnatural. | Wolves via Getty Images