Wolverhampton Wanderers head into their encounter with Crystal Palace looking for the three points which would keep the club in sixth place in the Premier League standings.
Palace make the trip to Molineux on Monday evening desperate to end a six-match losing streak, one which has seen them concede 15 goals over the same period.
Match preview
© Reuters
Heading into the closing stages of their game with Burnley on Wednesday night, Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo would have been confident that his players would see out five minutes of added-on time to claim an invaluable win.
However, after initially being let off by a remarkable miss from Chris Wood, the forward converted a last-gasp penalty after a harsh handball decision went against Matt Doherty.
Although the West Midlands outfit had reason to feel hard done-by, Nuno will have told his players that they did not do enough to keep Burnley at bay, words which he will hope reinforce the message that they can ill-afford any slip-ups over the next two matches.
While Wolves' fate remains in their own hands, they could have dropped down to eighth position by the time that they take to the pitch on Monday evening.
After recently being regarded as contenders for the Champions League, that would bring the club back down to earth, leaving Nuno with a major job on his hands to orchestrate successive wins over their next opponents and Chelsea.
There is a strong argument that Palace are the ideal foes for Wolves at this stage of the season, but the Eagles suggested against Manchester United that they are not too far away from getting back on track.
Despite the record books showing half-a-dozen defeats in a row, Palace were denied a penalty in the minutes before United's opener, while also missing out on a deserved equaliser by an offside decision determined by millimetres.
While Roy Hodgson cut a frustrated figure in the dugout, he would have been more than satisfied with the level of performance from his players, eradicating any concerns regarding their confidence.
With games against European-chasing Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur to come, the veteran boss may enjoy a scenario where his team can express themselves against clubs under major pressure to end the campaign in the top seven.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form: WWLLWD
Crystal Palace Premier League form: LLLLLL
Team News
© Reuters
With Doherty and Jonny due to return at wing-back, it seemingly leaves Nuno with a straight choice between Diogo Jota and Daniel Podence further forward.
Jota, who netted a late equaliser in the reverse fixture in September, is expected to get the nod, partnering Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez in the final third.
That will likely lead to Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves being used in midfield, resulting in Leander Dendoncker beginning the game among the replacements.
Palace continue to be without Christian Benteke, who serves the second of a three-match suspension.
Hodgson must also decide whether to use Jairo Riedewald, Jeffrey Schlupp or Tyrick Mitchell as a replacement for injured left-back Patrick van Aanholt.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Boly, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Traore, Jimenez, Jota
Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Ward, Dann, Sakho, Schlupp; McArthur, Milivojevic, McCarthy; Townsend, Ayew, Zaha
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Crystal Palace
Given the significance of this contest, Wolves may struggle to deliver a free-flowing performance, like they have done in three of their last four matches. From Palace's perspective, Hodgson will not want to end the season with eight successive defeats, and we expect an improvement from the Eagles during this game.
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wolverhampton Wanderers win with a probability of 55.84%. A draw had a probability of 24.9% and a win for Crystal Palace had a probability of 19.29%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wolverhampton Wanderers win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.28%) and 2-1 (9.38%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.64%), while for a Crystal Palace win it was 0-1 (7.22%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 11.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Wolverhampton Wanderers would win this match.
