Carabao Cup: Wolves v Preston preview – Wolves looking to kickstart campaign in the cup again

Despite putting in impressive performances at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, Wolves lost 1-0 to both Leicester and Spurs before they faced Championship side Nottingham Forest in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

Wolves finally took their chances and won 4-0 and although they lost 1-0 to Manchester United only a few days later, they went on to have a largely successful season.

This year, Wolves have one point from three Premier League games and are once again struggling to score goals – with a Carabao Cup clash with Championship opposition next on the agenda.

For Bruno Lage and his team, a similarly ruthless performance to the one at Forest last year would go a long way to appeasing supporters.

Many fans are extremely pleased with the transfer business so far and Wolves have shown some quality in their performances, but entering tonight’s game as favourites they now need to dispatch Preston in impressive fashion.

Wolves are clearly missing a number nine, with Raul Jimenez only just returning from injury, and goals have been hard to come by.

But the talent is there and the forwards must step up and improve their numbers in the final third.

Speaking after the loss to Spurs, midfielder Ruben Neves summed up Wolves’ current problem.

He said: “We need to get better at some aspects of our game and one of them is finishing. We know with our quality we can create a lot of chances, but we also need to finish them to get the results we want.

“We need to work on that, but it’s all about us to work and improve on that. We’re doing a lot of things really well.

“That’s why I say to work on those small aspects, those small details and I’m sure we’ll do well in the future, start getting some wins and give some wins to the fans.”

Last season Lage took the cup competitions seriously and played strong teams, while also rotating players to give others a chance to play.

Wolves’ squad depth this year means he will probably make a similar call, however he could play with a completely different back four.

The timing seems to work well for Nelson Semedo to get a start, after his injury comeback, while Yerson Mosquera, Toti Gomes and Willy Boly will be eager to play – having not yet made an appearance.

A return to the 4-2-3-1 is likely, as Lage will be keen to impress the home crowd and secure a convincing win.

Adama Traore and Hwang Hee-chan could come in from the start, while Jimenez could also line-up as the lone striker.

If that formation is used, Daniel Podence will probably start as the number 10.

He will be fairly fresh having played only 60 minutes against Spurs.

Opposition view

Preston have made an unbeaten start to the season but are finding goals hard to come by.

After five league games and one Carabao Cup fixture, Preston are yet to taste defeat.

However, they have only won two of those games as Ryan Lowe’s side struggles for goals.

Their only league win came away at Luton, as a first-half Brad Potts goal handed them all three points.

In their Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield, Preston did find their goalscoring touch as they walked away with a 4-1 victory.

However, in their other four Championship clashes, they have seen out four goalless draws.

Preston started the season with two 0-0 stalemates against Wigan and Hull, while their last two games against Rotherham and Watford have ended with the same result.

Heading to Molineux tonight, Preston face another team in Wolves who are struggling to find the back of the net and in need of a result.

The Lilywhites may have to do it without key defender Andrew Hughes after he came off against Watford on Saturday with a shoulder injury.

Hughes has been one of the first names on the team-sheet on the left of the back three and came off with shoulder pain following a tackle.

Preston are now waiting to see the extent of his injury. If he misses the clash with Wolves, it will prove to be a major injury blow.

Manager Lowe said post-match: “He just said he felt something in the top of his shoulder, so we will have to get that addressed. He will go for a scan tomorrow probably and we’ll see where it is at. It’s in a sling at the moment, but it’s not too sore. We will just have to wait and see how he is.”