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

Still dreaming of a great escape amid their 2026 resurgence, Wolverhampton Wanderers aim to make it five games unbeaten in Sunday's Premier League scrap with Newcastle United at Molineux.

The Old Gold slaughtered Shrewsbury Town in FA Cup action at the weekend, while the Magpies suffered a potentially fatal blow to their hopes of retaining the EFL Cup in midweek.

Match preview

Only a matter of weeks ago, Wolves seemed destined to drop down to the Championship with the lowest-ever points total the Premier League has ever seen, but a New Year has indeed brought a new sense of hope for the Old Gold.

Rob Edwards's side have collected a respectable five points from their last nine on offer in the Premier League, claiming draws on Manchester United and Everton's turfs either side of their long-awaited first league success of the season vs. West Ham United.

Not for the first time this term, a cup competition offered Wolves further respite over the weekend, as the rejuvenated Jorgen Strand Larsen - whose name continues to crop up in transfer conversations - struck a hat-trick in a 6-1 battering of Shrewsbury.

While the hosts return to league action still propping up the 20-team standings, but victory could take them to within just three points of 19th-placed Burnley, as well as bringing them to the brink of Derby County's infamous 11-point record.

Back-to-back wins at Molineux - during which time Edwards's men have scored a whopping nine goals - should also fill the Old Gold faithful with further confidence, but the three-goal beating of West Ham marked their first league clean sheet of the season on their own turf.

Renowned for their atrocious away form at the start of the term, Newcastle still boast just the two Premier League road victories all season long, although one of those came at Burnley in their most recent sojourn away from St James' Park.

That Turf Moor triumph marked the start of a four-match winning sequence for Eddie Howe's men, who benefitted from the latest-ever Premier League winner on record against Leeds United - Harvey Barnes's 101-minute and 48-second strike - before edging out Bournemouth in the FA Cup on penalties.

However, the Magpies are fighting the hilliest of uphill battles to retain their grip on the EFL Cup after Tuesday's 2-0 semi-final first-leg loss to Man City, who snapped Newcastle's 13-game unbeaten run at St James' Park and became the first visiting team to keep a clean sheet at the venue this season.

Nevertheless, Newcastle's three-game winning run in the Premier League sees the Magpies occupy sixth in the standings after 21 matches, and the gap to fourth-placed Liverpool reads just three points before the champions battle Burnley.

Success on Sunday would also see Newcastle win their first three league matches of a calendar year for the first time since 1996, and Howe's men are also on a four-game winning sequence against their hosts, who succumbed to a 1-0 loss at St James' Park in September.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Newcastle United Premier League form:

Newcastle United form (all competitions):

Team News

Newcastle's engrossing 4-3 success over Leeds in their last Premier League game was overshadowed by a serious injury to defensive regular Fabian Schar, whom Howe has now concerned faces around three months out after surgery.

To make matters worse, Jacob Murphy was a casualty of the Man City loss with a hamstring issue and will sit out the trip to Molineux, as will defensive trio Emil Krafth (knee), Tino Livramento (hamstring) and Dan Burn (rib).

Striker Will Osula (ankle) should be the next cab off the rank in terms of Newcastle's injury victims, but the 22-year-old is expected to depart in the January transfer window anyway.

On the other hand, Wolves have received a few pieces of good news on the selection front of late; both Rodrigo Gomes and Ladislav Krejci were passed fit to face Shrewsbury, and Emmanuel Agbadou is back from the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, Marshall Munetsi has been loaned back to Ligue 1 with Paris FC, Tanda Chirewa has not trained this week owing to an illness, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (thigh), Toti Gomes (thigh) and Leon Chiwome (ACL) are still out.

Strand Larsen's treble against Shrewsbury has given Edwards plenty of food for thought up front, but Tolu Arokodare and Hwang Hee-chan appear to have established themselves as the manager's first-choice striker partnership.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Mosquera, S. Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Arias, Mane, J. Gomes, H. Bueno; Arokodare, Hwang

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Barnes, Woltemade, Gordon

We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Newcastle United

Wolves will have more days' worth of rest under their belts and have finally developed a sense of solidity under Edwards, but will that extend to getting the better of a goal-happy Newcastle?

Despite all the progress the hosts have made in the space of a few weeks, Sunday's test should prove one step too far, and Howe's men have our vote to return to victorious ways.

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