Wolves looking for warm-ups before Premier League restart

With the top flight set to resume behind-closed-doors in a couple of weeks, the Express & Star understands warm-up matches are being considered as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side look to pick up where they left off.

Currently sitting sixth in the table – just five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea – Nuno’s charges have been back in contact training at Compton since last Thursday, and they can now go over game-like scenarios.

But as they aim to be in tip-top shape for the trip to West Ham, Wolves are believed to be looking at staging at least one warm-up match against another team – although nothing is concrete as of yet.

Wolves’ Premier League counterparts Brighton have confirmed they are considering friendlies as a way of building match fitness.

It has also been reported top-flight clubs are planning to stage practice matches at their own empty stadiums in order to prepare their players for behind-closed-doors matches.

Wolves’ fierce rivals Albion have also said they have agreed to play two friendlies against another Championship side prior to the second tier’s return on June 20.

Nuno’s lot, though, at least have experience of playing in an empty stadium.

Wolves’ Europa League last-16 first leg against Olympiacos, which ended 1-1, was played behind-closed-doors in Greece just before football was suspended.

On the experience, midfielder Ruben Neves said: “It is hard to explain.

“We are used to playing in loud places with a lot of fans, and now it’s just like on the warm-up.”

Neves, though, is looking forward to getting back under way, with Wolves having nine games left.

And he has thanked the club for the amount of support the players have received over the past few months of lockdown as he added: “It was not easy, but we kept in touch almost every day to make sure everyone is good.

“The club is doing a brilliant job as well as we have all the conditions to be safe.

“That helps us a lot – us and our families are safe.

“The club is helping us really well. It’s impossible to disconnect completely.

“We had our individual training plans, we had our own plans to do, and we kept in touch with the staff.”