Wolves predicted XI gallery vs Gillingham - Julen Lopetegui makes seven changes in Carabao Cup

Latest team news and predicted starting XI for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Carabao Cup clash with Gillingham on Tuesday, December 20.

Wolverhampton Wanderers can book a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals tonight as they take on League Two strugglers Gillingham in the round of 16 at Molineux. The clash sees new manager Julen Lopetegui take charge of a competitive Wolves fixture for the first time – well over a month since he arrived at the club.

The Wanderers have been put through their paces throughout the World Cup break, with Lopetegui recently taking his new players on a warm-weather training camp out in Marbella. Wolves were unbeaten across two fixtures in Spain, as they at first drew 1-1 to Empoli and then got the better of La Liga side Cadiz in a 4-3 thriller on December 14.

Before that, Lopetegui’s side drew 2-2 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Sir Jack Haywood Training Ground against local rivals Birmingham City. Although there was no real sign of defensive improvement on show, it seems Lopetegui may well have finally got Wolves firing in attack – something that will be a huge relief for supporters given the relentless goalscoring struggles of late.

On paper, Lopetegui could not have an easier opposition for his first, as Gillingham are currently the lowest-ranked professional club in England. Down at the foot of League Two, the Gills have won just two league fixtures all season, with eight draws and ten losses making up the rest of their opening 20 games.

With all that in mind, many would assume Lopetegui would go with a weakened starting lineup for the clash, especially with the Premier League game against Everton awaiting on Boxing Day. We think that probably will be the case, but perhaps not to the extreme a lot of people will be expecting. After all, this is a bit of a rehearsal for the more important matches to come.

Without further ado, here is our predicted Wolves XI vs Gillingham...