Wolverhampton Wanderers are back on home soil this midweek as they take on high-flying Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday night. Eager to get back to winning ways following a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Leicester City on Saturday, Wolves can make a big leap towards surviving the drop with a positive result.
Despite going 1-0 up at the King Power Stadium, goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Timothy Castagne shocked Wanderers as Leicester went away with a massive three points to soar out of the relegation zone. Mario Lemina went off injured at half time in that game and remains a doubt, giving Julen Lopetegui quite the dilemma.
That’s not the only tough call the head coach might have to make, as the fixture congestion is building and Tuesday’s opponents are in good form. With three wins and a draw in their last four outings, Palace have all but mathematically confirmed their Premier League status for another campaign.
Roy Hodgson has done a brilliant job since taking over from the sacked Patrick Vieira, leading his side to not only their first victory of 202 but two more after that. The Eagles then held relegation battlers Everton to a 0-0 stalemate in their most recent fixture.
It’ll no doubt be a tough game for Wolves at Molineux, with plenty of key decisions to be made in order to have the best chance at winning the clash. With that in mind, here’s the starting XI we think Lopetegui will go for – in a 4-4-2 formation. See below.
1. Wolverhampton Wanderers predicted starting lineup vs Crystal Palace
Here are the 11 players we think Lopetegui will start on Tuesday.
2. GK - Jose Sa
Made a big mistake in the 2-1 defeat at Leicester but surely remains the number one choice between the sticks for Wolves.
3. RB - Nelson Semedo
One of the first names on the team sheet under Lopetegui and will continue to be so for the rest of the campaign.
4. CB - Craig Dawson
Perhaps a bit slow with his decision making at Leicester but gets another run out as he’s proven himself enough previously.