Preview: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Bournemouth - prediction, team news, lineups

A resurgent Bournemouth side travel to Molineux to face Premier League basement club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

After winning 1-0 in the reverse fixture in August, the Cherries are looking to complete the league double over the Old Gold for the third time in their history, previously doing so in 1985-86 (third tier) and 2014-15 (Championship).

Match preview

Wolves’ four-game unbeaten start to 2026 in all competitions came to an end last weekend when they suffered a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City - their 17th Premier League defeat of the season and their first since a 2-1 loss at Liverpool on December 27.

Rob Edwards was pleased with the “character” and “fight” shown by his players, particularly in the second half, but they ultimately came away empty handed in his 50th PL match as a manager; only Mick McCarthy (38) and Daniel Farke (35) have ever lost more of their first 50 games as a manager in the division than Edwards (32).

Wolves are now running out of games to pull off the great escape, as they are 17 points adrift of safety with only 15 league fixtures remaining. The Old Gold will be keen to pick up at least four more points before the season concludes and avoid breaking Derby County’s lowest points record (11) from 2007-08.

In recent weeks, Wolves have shown marginal improvements in defence, keeping a clean sheet in their last two games at Molineux (0-0 with Newcastle and 3-0 against West Ham) having previously conceded in all 11 Premier League home matches between May and December.

The Old Gold have struggled on home soil against Saturday’s opponents Bournemouth, though, as they have lost each of their last three Premier League meetings with the Cherries at Molineux, including a 4-2 defeat in their most recent home clash in November 2024.

After enduring a miserable 11-game winless Premier League run (D5 L6), Bournemouth have since won two of their last three in the top flight (D1), both at home by 3-2 scorelines and thanks to stoppage-time winners against Tottenham and Liverpool.

Amine Adli scored in the 94th minute to seal maximum points for the Cherries against Liverpool last weekend, and that result helped them climb up to 13th in the table, three points behind the top half and six points behind the Reds in sixth spot.

Saturday’s trip to Molineux will be Andoni Iraola’s 100th Premier League game in charge of Bournemouth (W35 D29 L35). The Spaniard, who is out of contract in the summer, boasts the highest win rate of any of the Cherries’ four top-flight managers (35.4%).

Bournemouth have favoured playing on home turf this season, as they have collected 22 of their 30 Premier League points at the Vitality Stadium. On the road, they have won only one of their 11 top-flight away matches this term (D5 L5), with the Cherries conceding more away goals than any other team (30).

Nevertheless, Iraola’s men can take comfort from the fact that they have lost just two of their last 19 Premier League matches against teams in the relegation zone (W13 D4), and away from home, they have prevailed in seven of the last eight such games - the exception, though, being a 2-1 loss at Rob Edwards’ Luton in April 2024.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:

Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):

Bournemouth Premier League form:

Bournemouth form (all competitions):

Team News

Wolves defender Toti Gomes and midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde both remain sidelined as they continue to recover from hamstring injuries, while Jorgen Strand Larsen could miss out as Crystal Palace have reportedly agreed a £50m package to sign the striker.

Edwards began with Hwang Hee-chan and Jhon Arias in attack in the defeat to Man City last weekend, but he may consider replacing the latter with Tolu Arokodare who is hoping to end his seven-game goal drought in the Premier League.

While Jackson Tchatchoua and Hugo Bueno will likely provide the width as wing-backs, Joao Gomes and Andre are expected to link up with 18-year-old starlet Mateus Mane in centre-midfield. Jose Sa, meanwhile, should remain in goal despite reported transfer interest in his services.

As for Bournemouth, Marcus Tavernier (hamstring), Tyler Adams, Justin Kluivert (both knee), Ben Gannon Doak (thigh), Julio Soler (unspecified) and Will Dennis (ankle) all remain sidelined with injuries, while David Brooks (ankle) will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Iraola will be tempted to hand £24.7m January signing Rayan his full Premier League debut, with the highly-rated Brazilian winger set to battle with Adli and Alex Jimenez - who both scored in the win over Liverpool - for a start out wide.

Alex Toth is another player recently signed by the Cherries and made his debut as a substitute against Liverpool. A full debut cannot be ruled out this weekend, though Alex Scott and Lewis Cook are the most likely duo to start in centre-midfield.

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

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

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Cook; Jimenez, Kroupi, Adli; Evanilson

We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-3 Bournemouth

If previous meetings are anything to go by, a feisty affair cannot be ruled out given that there have been five red cards in 11 Premier League clashes between Wolves and Bournemouth. Of all PL fixtures to have been played more than 10 times, only Aston Villa versus Portsmouth averages a sending off more often (one every two matches, seven in 14).

The Old Gold will back themselves to produce another spirited display on home soil, but that may not be enough to claim a positive result this weekend. Indeed, we are backing the attack-minded Cherries to outscore their opponents on this occasion.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.