Preview: Wolves v Ipswich – Mick McCarthy full of praise for former club

He made mincemeat of their dire November record, for example, ending a run of 19 winless matches in emphatic style by overseeing four victories out of four last month.

The latest statistical hurdle arrives at Molineux tomorrow in the form of both Ipswich Town and Mick McCarthy.

Separately they've enjoyed impressive recent records against Wolves. Combined they've been been unbeatable, specifically in seven matches since McCarthy took over in the Portman Road hot seat in late 2012.

McCarthy himself is unbeaten in 13 consecutive games against Wolves, a record that stretches back to his tenures with Sunderland and Millwall, while Ipswich are undefeated at Molineux since 2006.

You can get 12/1 on a 0-0 draw tomorrow but that's been the scoreline for the past three meetings between these sides. A fourth consecutive 0-0 between Wolves and Ipswich would be just the ninth fixture in Football League history to 'achieve' such a run.

Wolves drew 0-0 in their last Molineux game, against Sunderland, and Nuno Espirito Santo will be keen for his team to avoid that.

He'll also want to see an improved performance from his side after a couple of flat weeks. Wolves have still earned seven points from three matches, keeping three clean sheets in the process, but the free-flowing passing moves that defined the opening four months of the season have been absent.

Nuno will know that against better opposition – on paper – in Ipswich, Millwall and Bristol City, his team may not be able to get away with being so subdued in an attacking sense again.

The head coach is likely to have Barry Douglas available again after his return to training following a relatively minor knock that saw him miss out the Sheffield Wednesday win.

Elsewhere Helder Costa is pushing for a start and Nuno may choose to freshen his team up ahead of a busy festive schedule, with Alfred N'Diaye and Bright Enobakhare other options to come in.

McCarthy, speaking during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, offered nothing but praise for his former club – even if it's unrecognisable from the one he left if 2012.

"There's a few clubs I've left and they seem to have changed in the meantime – I keep looking at Manchester City and wondering if I ever played there!" McCarthy joked.

"Wolves are are doing very, very well. It's took them a while to get it right but they seem to have got the right coach in Nuno Espirito Santo. The players that they've brought in, heavens, they had a £13m sub come on the other day.

"But what I'd say, they've spent money but it looks like it's money well spent. Neves in midfield, they look a really good side with a really good team spirit.

"They're very stoic in the fact they get 1-0 victories. Despite all this flair football, when they need to they've defended and won 1-0. I've been impressed with that.

"They look the best team in the league to me so it'll be a tough old afternoon."

With one of the smallest budgets in the league and an injury crisis that’s the worst he’s experienced in 25 years in management, McCarthy is pretty happy with his Ipswich team being in eighth place.

As he said yesterday, it’s a scenario he’d have certainly settled for at the start of the season.

The likes of Middlesbrough, Fulham, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich all have far bigger pockets than the Tractor Boys but are currently sat below them in the table.

That’s despite McCarthy’s squad being down to the bare bones, with no fewer than eight midfielders currently on the treatment table. Indeed, McCarthy only has 15 outfield players available this weekend.

'An epidemic' was how McCarthy described it.

But despite his squad being so depleted the former Wolves boss said there was chance he'd be 'parking the bus' at Molineux tomorrow.

"We won’t go and park the bus, I haven’t tried to park the bus anyway," he said.

"Sometimes you get pinned back but defending is part of the game and I don’t mind a 1-0 in anywhere. A clean sheet would be nice.

"Even the best team in the league gets beaten sometimes."

You suspect there's nothing McCarthy would love more than to beat the Wolves millionaires tomorrow.

But publicly at least the 58-year-old was nothing but complimentary about Nuno Espirito Santo's team.

And he's certainly not envious at the many tens of millions Wolves have spent in the past 18 month.

"Not at all," he said. "I had my time (at Wolves) and I had a brilliant time. We won the league, I had two and a half seasons in the Premier League and had pretty much grade A success there.

"I wasn’t biter when I let and I’m still not now. I just keep enjoying doing what I’m doing."

Is he looking forward to a post-match drink with Nuno to discuss football philosophies?

"You don’t get that much chance to discuss their philosophies, you might get a chance for a quick beer after the game." he added.

"You go in their office and if you've won, certainly way from home, the atmosphere is flat as anything and they really don’t want you in there.

"So you tend to go in, have a quick coca cola or a beer...offski, sharpish. And if you’ve lost the last thing you want to do is listen to them crowing! It’s a respect thing."

Cole Skuse is a doubt for tomorrow's game, while fellow midfielders Emyr Huws, Tom Adeyemi, Luke Hyam, Flynn Downes, Andre Dozzell and Tristan Nydam are all out.

Wolves loanee Dominic Iorfa is ineligible to face his parent club.

Predicted line ups

Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Saiss, Neves, Douglas; Cavaleiro, Bonatini, Jota. Subs: Norris, Batth, Miranda, Vinagre, N'Diaye, Costa, Enobakhare.

Ipswich (4-3-3): Bialkowski; Spence, Chambers, Webster, Knudsen; Bru, Connolly, Ward; Waghorn, Garner, Celina.

Key players

Wolves – Diogo Jota: Sure to be targeted by Ipswich, as with every opposition team of late. Jota has been subdued recently and Wolves miss his sparkle.

Ipswich – Martyn Waghorn: Mick McCarthy revitalised another ex-Sunderland striker in Daryl Murphy and now he’s doing the same with Waghorn. The 27-year-old moved from Rangers in August and has netted 10 times in 20 Championship appearances.

Past five meetings

March 7, 2017 (Ch): Ipswich 0 Wolves 0

August 16, 2016 (Ch): Wolves 0 Ipswich 0

April 2, 2016 (Ch): Wolves 0 Ipswich 0

November 21, 2015 (Ch): Ipswich 2 (Douglas 16, Murphy 54) Wolves 2 (Henry 38, Afobe 75)

April 18, 2015 (Ch): Wolves 1 (Afobe 50) Ipswich 1 (Stearman OG 21)