Preview: Leeds United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ inevitable relegation from the Premier League could be confirmed this weekend after they have faced survival hopefuls Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

The Old Gold will be out for revenge against the Whites after suffering a 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at Molineux back in September.

Match preview

For the first time in 45 years, Leeds celebrated their first top-flight triumph at Old Trafford on Monday night, deservedly beating Manchester United 2-1, courtesy of two goals from Noah Okafor, to boost their Premier League survival hopes.

After the match, a relieved and pound Daniel Farke expressed how important it is for his team to “keep your nerves and stick to your plan” during “crunch time”, while defender James Justin believes that success over the Red Devils "definitely sends a message" to Leeds’ relegation rivals.

Indeed, the Whites produced one of their best performances of the season to end a six-game winless run and climb six points clear of 18th-placed strugglers Tottenham Hotspur, who they will face in North London next month.

Leeds are the only Premier League side yet to record back-to-back wins this season, but their recent dominance over Wolves bodes well for Saturday. The Whites have won each of their last four top-flight meetings with the Old Gold; only against Sunderland, Spurs (six each) and West Ham (five) have they enjoyed longer winning streaks in the division.

Farke’s side have also won nine of their last 12 PL home matches against sides starting the day bottom of the table (D2 L1), but they return to Elland Road this weekend having failed to score in four of their last five home games, drawing a blank in each of their last three. Not since February/March 1982 have they endured a four-game goalless home run in the top tier.

Wolves have been rock bottom of the Premier League for each of the last 29 gameweeks (since August 31) and their eight-year stay in the division could officially come to an end this weekend if results go against them.

Only a victory at Leeds will postpone their inevitable drop to the Championship for another week. A defeat confirms their demotion if Spurs win against Brighton on Saturday evening, while a draw or loss, combined with West Ham picking up points at Crystal Palace on Monday, would also seal their fate.

Wolves have picked up 15 of their 17 Premier League points since Rob Edwards succeeded Vitor Pereira in January, but the Old Gold boss still has the lowest win percentage (15.3%, nine wins in 59 games) of all 130 managers who have taken charge of at least 50 Premier League games.

The Midlands outfit are seeking to bounce back from their heavy 4-0 defeat at West Ham a week last Friday. They have not found the net in 16 Premier League matches this term - matching their combined total from 2023-24 (nine) and 2024-25 (seven) - and the last time they failed to score in 17 league games in a single season was in 2009-10.

However, Wolves have scored in each of their last 11 meetings with Leeds in all competitions over the last decade, while they have also lost just one of their last five league trips to Elland Road (W3 D1), though that defeat did come during their most recent visit in August 2022 (2-1).

Leeds United Premier League form:

Leeds United form (all competitions):

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Team News

Leeds trio Anton Stach (ankle), Joe Rodon (ankle) and Daniel James (groin) all missed the win over Man United due to injury, but Farke has suggested that they could make an appearance in the matchday squad on Saturday if they return to training and pass a late fitness test.

After recovering from injury to play the full 90 minutes at Old Trafford, Gabriel Gudmundsson is ready to retain his starting spot at left wing-back, with Jayden Bogle set to operate on the opposite flank as James Justin, Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk all continue in the back three.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is without a goal in his last six league games, but he is expected to lead the line alongside Okafor, who has found the net four times in as many top-flight appearances, and six times in total this season. Xherdan Shaqiri in 2017-18 (eight) and Granit Xhaka in 2022-23 (seven) are the only two Swiss players to have ever scored more in a single PL campaign.

As for Wolves, Sam Johnstone (shoulder) is still out injured and Matt Doherty (knock) is a doubt, while Yerson Mosquera will begin serving a two-match suspension after receiving his 10th yellow card of the season last time out.

In the absence of Mosquera, Toti Gomes could be handed his first league start since February 27, joining Ladislav Krejci - who scored against Leeds earlier this season - and Santiago Bueno in the back three.

Edwards will weigh up whether to recall teenage starlet Mateus Mane or stick with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in an advanced midfield role in front of Joao Gomes, Andre and Angel Gomes.

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Darlow; Justin, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Ampadu, Tanaka, Gudmundsson; Aaronson, Okafor; Calvert-Lewin

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; S. Bueno, Krejci, Toti; Tchatchoua, J. Gomes, Andre, A. Gomes, H. Bueno; Mane; Armstrong

We say: Leeds United 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

If Wolves are to succumb to the drop, Edwards will demand his side go down fighting and avoid a repeat of their heavy defeat at West Ham when they face a Leeds outfit still hunting for precious points to secure their own safety.

Despite Leeds' patchy home form in recent weeks, Elland Road should be rocking this weekend, and we are backing the Whites to edge past their opponents in what could be a tight, yet entertaining contest.

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