Preview: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

Wolverhampton Wanderers play host to Burnley on Wednesday evening looking for the victory which will keep them in the top six of the Premier League standings.

Meanwhile, fresh off the back of a weekend off, the Clarets travel to Molineux currently sitting three points adrift of safety at the wrong end of the table.

Match preview

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After losing their first three games this season, Bruno Lage and Wolves' supporters would have struggled to envisage their team sitting in sixth position in the standings after 13 fixtures.

Nevertheless, despite 20 points coming from 10 fixtures, Lage has always made a point about the difficult period which awaits his small squad in December and January.

Wednesday's match is regarded as a favourable one, but pressure is intensfied with games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all coming by December 19.

While the Portuguese was generally content with Saturday's goalless draw at Norwich City, Wolves again failed to offer much in the final third, a common theme during their most recent away matches.

That has not always been the case during fixtures at Molineux, but Wolves now have the joint-fourth worst return in the league, netting less than a goal per game.

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Burnley had endured similar struggles in front of goal until scoring seven times during matches with Brentford, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

More importantly, the same amount of points came from those fixtures, ensuring that the Clarets did not get cut adrift at the bottom of the standings.

While Sean Dyche would have been frustrated with the late postponement of Sunday's fixture with Tottenham Hotspur, it gave his squad an extra rest ahead of the busiest period of the season.

Burnley make the trip to the West Midlands having recently claimed draws away from home against Leicester City, Southampton and leaders Chelsea.

The 4-0 trouncing of their next opponents in April also remains fresh in the memory, Chris Wood netting a first-half hat-trick on that occasion.

Team News

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Having been unable to serve their one-match ban at the weekend, James Tarkowski and Ashley Westwood must sit out this fixture instead.

Nathan Collins and Jack Cork appear most likely to be drafted into the starting lineup in their absence.

Wolves also have a number of selection issues, most notably with Ruben Neves serving a one-game suspension of his own.

Leander Dendoncker will take the Portuguese's place in midfield, while Daniel Podence will also miss out due to coronavirus.

Adama Traore could come in for Francisco Trincao, with Ki-Jana Hoever an alternative to wing-back Nelson Semedo if Lage opts to manage the fitness of some of his players.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Sa; Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Ait-Nouri; Traore, Jimenez, Hwang

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Pope; Lowton, Collins, Mee, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Cornet

We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Burnley

With Wolves continuing to struggle for goals, it is difficult to back Lage's side with any level of certainty. With that in mind, we are going to predict a low-scoring draw, Burnley benefitting from their fresher legs.