Rob Edwards takes cost of his first recreation as Wolves head coach towards a Crystal Palace facet who’ve misplaced their previous two Premier League matches on the street.
BBC Sport examines a number of the key themes forward of their assembly at Molineux.
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New begin for Wolves
The resumption of Premier League soccer following the worldwide break presents struggling golf equipment with the prospect to reset – significantly those that start life underneath a brand new head coach.
Rob Edwards’ return to Wolves was confirmed final week after a severance bundle was agreed with Championship membership Middlesbrough and Wolves government chairman Jeff Shi subsequently underlined the necessity for a contemporary begin.
“We have to refresh the entire membership with a brand new coach’s philosophy, bringing his personal id and concepts, and we are able to construct on that,” he stated.
The problem for Edwards is that Shi’s prescribed constructing job begins at all-time low.
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Wolves stay the one crew within the prime seven tiers of English soccer but to win this season, whereas they may fail to triumph in any of their opening 12 matches for less than the second time of their league historical past.
Cannot rating, all the time concede
Issues in assault and defence have persevered since final season – Wolves are backside of the Premier League desk for ever-present golf equipment throughout the whole lot of 2025, whereas they’re but to maintain a clear sheet this season.
Wolves are backside of the Premier League desk over the whole calendar 12 months [BBC]
Edwards, a former Wolves defender and head coach of the under-23 facet, has a raft of points to handle, together with struggles in entrance of purpose.
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Wolves have scored simply 4 instances from open play in 11 Premier League matches to date, 10 fewer than at this stage final season – by far the largest decline of any membership.
Wolves are struggling to attain from open play this season [BBC]
The technique underneath predecessor Vitor Pereira was clear, but ineffective.
Wolves have recorded no less than 20 extra profitable open-play crosses than every other top-flight crew this season, whereas winger Hugo Bueno has created a league-high 9 probabilities from open-play crosses – however Wolves have scored a league-low seven targets general.
A lot might depend upon striker Jorgen Strand Larsen discovering type in entrance of purpose – the 25-year-old is but to attain from open play within the league this season – and Wolves should additionally tighten up on the again having conceded precisely three targets in every of their final three Premier League video games.
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The omens, although, will not be completely ominous, even when Wolves fail to beat Crystal Palace.
Of the seven groups who had been winless after 12 Premier League video games, three survived relegation ( in 1994-95, in 2000-01 and in 2021-22), whereas Edwards’ first Premier League house win as Luton City supervisor got here towards Crystal Palace in 2023-24, within the first match after the November worldwide break.
Dynamic defensive duo
Saturday’s guests come into this contest on the again of two away defeats, which is as many video games as that they had misplaced of their earlier 18 Premier League outings on the street.
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Crystal Palace, nonetheless, haven’t misplaced three successive away video games since February 2024 – they usually like to win this fixture.
Palace have triumphed in 57% of their Premier League conferences with Wolves, their highest win fee towards any facet they’ve confronted greater than 10 instances.
Whereas Wolves have centered on crosses, Palace’s strategy relies on ceding possession and countering rapidly, at tempo.
The Eagles common simply 41.7% possession this season, the bottom ratio of any facet aside from .
Crystal Palace duo Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi are among the many handiest Premier League defenders in one-to-one conditions [BBC]
Taking part in in such a manner relies on a strong base and Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi are at the moment the Premier League’s handiest defenders in one-on-one conditions.
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Of gamers to have confronted no less than 20 opponent dribbles, Lacroix and Guehi have the very best deal with success charges, outlined as a “true deal with” by Opta.
And Palace can be boosted by the provision of Guehi, who returned to coaching on Wednesday after recovering from a badly bruised foot.