Wolves vs Man United: which team will emerge victorious?

Manchester United have had a shabby and disappointing start to the season, but they’ve redeemed themselves by securing the 5th position in the table so far. Just below Chelsea, Manchester United aim to finish top ten this Premier League season which would be a huge achievement, considering where they actually started.

Picking Up Ighalo

Ahead of their match against Wolves, Manchester United have just secured former Watford striker Odion Ighalo in a shock transfer deadline day move while West Ham United bolstered their forward line with by signing prolific Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen. Fortunately for the Red Devils, they now have an addition to their forwards to ease the burden on Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood, especially since 19-goal striker Marcus Rashford was ruled out for several months with a back injury.

The main task for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would probably be to patch up the gaping hole that Rashford has left due to his critical back injury. The ex-Liverpool star, Danny Murphy, previously stated Man Utd have “a real disconnect between the defence and attack. They haven’t got someone in the middle of the park dictating play and connecting the backline to the front line.”

However, Solskjaer has full faith in Ighalo claiming, “Odion is an experienced player. He will come in and give us an option of a different type of centre-forward for the short spell he’s staying with us. A great lad and very professional, he will make the most of his time here.”

Against the Wolves

Wolves, who are currently in the 7th place and two places behind Manchester United, are certainly not an opposition to be dealt with lightly. That being said, Daniel Podence could make his debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Manchester United on Saturday. According to BBC Sport, the 24-year-old ‘may be involved’ at Old Trafford after joining from Olympiacos on Thursday.

Podence will undoubtedly certainly strengthen and enhance an already skilled and talented Wolves attacking department. He’s made 68 appearances in all competitions for Olympiacos, scoring and creating 27 goals. The Portuguese forward contributed 10 goals in 27 games this season. Wolves have no shortage of talent and it will be quite a headache for Nuno to select among players like Podence, Adama Traore, Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto who are all available.

Joleon Lescott, ex-Wolves star, has personally commented on Traore saying he “is maturing and is getting more and more experienced as his confidence grows. Traore will only excel as time goes on and it’s evident to see that this is being noticed with his national call up to the Spanish side, which isn’t an easy side to play in.”

With an abundance of ability and skill, Wolves will give it their all to avoid defeat and finish the season in the top 10. However, Dimitar Berbatov, ex-Manchester Utd player and Betfair Pundit, is backing the Red Devils to edge to a narrow 2-1 win against Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

He believes they should be buoyed by the addition of Portugal international Bruno Fernandes in a big-money deal from Sporting Lisbon, as the attacking midfielder will be expected to bring more creativity to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s midfield in the absence of Paul Pogba.

“This is a tricky one because I do like watching Wolves, they have a good way of playing football,” Betfair pundit Berbatov told Metro. Traore is unstoppable at the moment and he has great chemistry with Jimenez upfront, who is scoring plenty of goals as well. United are coming off the back of a good game against City and even though they didn’t go through to the final it will still be a boost for them so I want to see them continue that way and of course I am looking forward to seeing Bruno Fernandes play.”

So far, the Red Devils have beaten Wolves in nine of their last 11 meetings. With the inclusion of Odion Ighalo and Bruno Fernandes, do Manchester United have enough to conquer the match or will the abundant talent at Wolves overburden the Red Devils? Only time will tell.