Manchester United travel to Molineux Stadium on Monday night to face Wolverhampton Wanderers, knowing a win would catapult them up the Premier League table to sixth position.
The Red Devils haven’t had much to cheer about this season, but for the first time since Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford, they have a decent record to protect.
United haven’t tasted defeat in any of their previous four games on the road (W2, D2), and they could stretch that record to five games on the spin when they visit the basement boys.
Amorim’s troops have also taken eight points from the last 15 on offer away from home (W2, D2, L1).
That’s six more than Wolves have managed all season, and United will also take solace from the fact that their miserable hosts have taken just one point at the Molineux so far.
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United have flirted with consistency all season, but Amorim’s side have so far managed to fall short of hitting their stride.
They seemed to have finally found their feet when they put together a five-match unbeaten run (W3, D2), but it all fell apart when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Everton.
United responded with an impressive 2-1 win over high-flying Crystal Palace, but were pegged back once again when they were held to a 1-1 draw by a struggling West Ham United at Old Trafford.
Diogo Dalot, whose fitness status remains a question mark heading into Monday’s outing, gave United the lead against West Ham, but Soungoutou Magassa’s late equaliser denied them maximum points.
The result didn’t go down well with a lot of United fans, and even club legend Roy Keane ripped into the team for lacking desire and intensity.
United have a perfect opportunity to prove him wrong on Monday. After the weekend’s run of fixtures, United have slipped into the bottom half and sit 12th on the table.
However, a win against Wolves will shoot them up to sixth, just one point off the Champions League places, and they’ve recently been impressive away from home.
United also have a decent record against teams starting the day at the bottom of the table.
They’ve only ever lost eight such Premier League fixtures, although the fact that their last two defeats have come against Wolves adds a different twist to the plot.
Drawing inspiration from a feat that happened 14 years ago would mean Wolves are clutching at straws, but they haven’t got anything going their way, so they’ll take motivation wherever they can.
“New manager bounce” hasn’t applied to the Old Gold yet, with Rob Edwards losing his opening three Premier League games without his side finding the back of the net.
Despite the results, the Welsh manager has called on his side to show some “fight” when they welcome United to Molineux if they’re to turn their misery around.
Wolves are on course to be remembered as the worst team ever to grace the Premier League.
That record is still held by Derby County, who picked up just 11 points in 2007/08, but if Wolves continue on their current trajectory, they’ll smash that record comfortably.
Wolves come into Monday’s fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest courtesy of a late second-half goal from Igor Jesus.
Edwards’ side are now 12 points off 17th-placed Forest, having lost their last seven Premier League games in a row.
To make matters worse, they’ve failed to score in their last five, which accounts for their longest-ever losing streak without scoring in their Premier League history.
If Wolves are looking for any shred of hope that they can come away with a result on Monday, it’s their home and away wins against United last season.
However, it’s been over four decades since United lost back-to-back games at Molineux.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:
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Manchester United Premier League form:
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Team News
As if dropping two points late on against West Ham wasn’t heartbreaking enough, United also lost Matthijs de Ligt to injury. But Amorim is optimistic that the Dutchman will be able to face Wolves.
Diogo Dalot could also feature despite suffering a blow on Thursday night, but United will be without Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko.
Meanwhile, Wolves could be without as many as eight first-team players. Rodrigo Gomes, Leon Chiwome, Daniel Bentley, and Marshall Munetsi are all ruled out.
Ladislav Krejci, Fer Lopez, and Hugo Bueno all need to pass a late fitness test, while Joao Gomes will be serving a suspension after accumulating five yellow cards.
Wolverhampton Wanderers potential line-up:
(3-4-2-1): Sam Johnstone; Yerson Mosquera, Toti Gomes, Emmanuel Agbadou; Matt Doherty, Andre, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, David Moller Wolfe; Jhon Arias, Hee-Chan Hwang; Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Manchester United potential line-up:
(3-4-2-1): Senne Lammens; Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs De Ligt, Luke Shaw; Amad Diallo, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu; Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha; Joshua Zirkzee.
2025-12-08 05:55:47
