Relegation-battling Everton face a tricky test against Wolves at Molineux in their final away match of 2022-23 Premier League season.
Victory would see Wolves stay 13th in the table, whilst Everton can go 16th and four points clear of the relegation zone with a win.
Team News
Wolves have no fresh injury concerns to report after their defeat at Manchester United last weekend.
Boubacar Traore (fitness) is a doubt but Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic (both knee) remain absent.
Everton will be without defender, Conor Coady who is ineligible to face his parent club due to the terms of his loan conditions.
Tom Davies (hamstring) is ruled out but Vitaliy Myokolenko (quad) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (groin) could both return if pass fitness tests.
Ben Godfrey (groin), Seamus Coleman (knee), Ruben Vinagre (Achilles) and Andros Townsend (knee) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Wolves host Everton at Molineux in a 3:00pm BST kick-off on Saturday 20 May, untelevised live in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Wolves have won four of their last six meetings against Everton (W4, L2).
- Everton have won just one of their last five visits to Wolves (W1, D2, L2).
- Wolves are looking to win four consecutive league meetings against Everton for the first time since a five-match winning streak between December 1957 – February 1960.
- Julen Lopetegui’s Old Gold have kept clean sheets in five of their last six home matches (W5, L1), except for 4-2 defeat to Leeds in March.
- Everton have won just one of eight away matches under Sean Dyche (W1, D4, L3).
Prediction
Having endured huge inconsistencies within their league form at home and away respectively since New Year, Wolves certainly should be eager to hit the reset button once the season is done having secured survival.
Julen Lopetegui’s men though surely know that this home match should feel like their last winnable game – with Arsenal away to come next Sunday, so I do expect them to come out fighting for one final victory after having kept clean sheets in their last four matches at Molineux.
Fans however will want to see a more aggressive performance after their lacklustre effort in last weekend’s defeat at Man Utd, although goalkeeper – Daniel Bentley deserves high praise after a series of impressive saves to frustrate the Red Devils.
Everton meanwhile know that this is their chance to put pressure upon their relegation rivals by clinching a pivotal win here, yet their away form does suggest that this will be an uphill struggle although they can take heart from a dominant performance at Brighton in their last away trip.
Last weekend’s home loss against Manchester City meanwhile was always on the cards so it is important that Dyche’s Toffees reset and deliver a more attack-minded performance, albeit with better link-up passing play to convert their attacks into proper chances upon goal.
Calvert-Lewin’s return also feels key because without the leadership of Coady and Coleman in defence, Everton needs his presence up front because otherwise I can see them hitting trouble here if Wolves can continue their strong home form.
Prediction: Wolves 1-0 Everton
Result: Wolves 1-1 Everton
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