Match preview - Wolves v Burnley
The full lowdown as Wolves look to bounce back against a few familiar faces.
PREAMBLE
After four defeats in five matches, and amid growing supporter discontent, who would be the last team Wolves would want to face at Molineux tomorrow?
A side that's won nine of 12, propelling themselves to second in the league, containing a host of ex-Wolves players and one of the country's in-form goalscorers would be pretty high on the list.
But that's the task Wolves face when high-flying Burnley come to town.
Andre Gray, Wolverhampton-born and released by Wolves as a youngster, is the Championship's top goalscorer and has notched four in his last two, firing Burnley up the league.
But the opposition are the least of Kenny Jackett's worries - he needs to rouse his misfiring players who were alarmingly off colour at Bristol City on Tuesday.
The stakes, as ever with Wolves at the moment, are high.
Wolves
Good luck guessing Kenny Jackett's line up. Changes are likely to be made, not least because this is their third game in a week and Wolves fielded the same XI at Birmingham on Saturday and then at Ashton Gate three days later.
Jackett may look to freshen things up, with very few players able to say they did enough at Ashton Gate to be worthy of keeping their place tomorrow.
Jack Price, Shey Ojo and Adam Le Fondre are among the more probable candidates to come in if Jackett shuffles his pack.
Injury-wise, Wolves are of course without Kortney Hause (hamstring) and Ethan Ebanks-Landell, but Rajiv van La Parra is in contention after recovering from a knee injury.
Burnley
Burnley are likely to be unchanged from the side that beat Fulham 3-1 on Tuesday. Former Wolves winger Michael Kightly missed that game through illness but is available again.
He is one of four ex-Wolves players in Burnley's ranks, along with David Jones, Stephen Ward and Sam Vokes.
Joey Barton, who has had some fun at games with the Molineux crowd over the years, should line up in midfield.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Wolves (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Iorfa, Batth, Williamson, Golbourne; Henry, McDonald, Price, Ojo; Edwards; Afobe. Subs: Ikeme, Doherty, Coady, Graham, Le Fondre, Holt.
Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Darikwa, Duff, Keane, Mee; Arfield, Barton, Jones, Boyd; Vokes, Gray. Subs: Gilks, Ward, Lowton, Taylor, Kightly, Hemmings, Long.
FORM GUIDE
Polar opposites. Wolves have lost four in five, Burnley have won nine of 12.
At Molineux, Jackett will be desperate to improve their home form, with successive defeats in their last two matches. In fact Wolves have won only two of their seven home games, scoring nine and conceding 10.
The Clarets have won three, drawn three and lost one (2-0 at Ipswich in August) on the road.
MATCH ODDS
As Wolves fans well know, there's an unwritten rule that former players score against them.
For first goalscorer you can choose from Vokes (13/2), Jones (12/1), Kightly (16/1) or Ward (33/1).
Mike Williamson has looked dangerous in the opposition box in his two Wolves appearances, winning a few headers without reward, and most bookies have him at 40-1 to open the scoring.
Benik Afobe has never gone five successive Wolves games without scoring. Goalless in his last four, Afobe is 15/8 to avoid that unwanted record and score anytime tomorrow, while you can have 35/1 on him scoring first and Wolves winning 2-0.
April 27, 2013 (Championship), Wolves 1 Burnley 2. One of the darkest Molineux days in recent decades. Danny Ings and Martin Paterson all-but confirmed Wolves' relegation to League One. Apoplectic supporters invaded the pitch at full time. Complete and utter carnage on so many levels.
December 20, 2009 (Premier League), Wolves 2 Burnley 0. Days earlier Mick McCarthy caused furore by resting 10 players in defeat at Old Trafford, prioritising the clash with relegation rivals Burnley. There was huge pressure to deliver, and Wolves did, with Nenad Milijas and Kevin Doyle the scorers. McCarthy said of his critics: "I'm not bothered."
November 8, 2008 (Championship), Wolves 2 Burnley 0. That man Kightly scored both goals as Championship leaders Wolves convincingly beat Owen Coyle's team, who had Clarke Carlisle sent off.
December 8, 2007 (Championship), Wolves 2 Burnley 3. Robbie Blake, Kyle Lafferty and a Darren Ward own goal saw the Clarets race into a 3-1 half time lead, Darron Gibson netting Wolves' reply. Stephen Elliott reduced the deficit with a penalty on the hour mark, but Burnley took the points.
February 17, 2007 (Championship), Wolves 2 Burnley 1. Play-off chasing Wolves won 2-1 with future Clarets players Kightly, who was man of the match, and Ward scoring in the first half, both having recently moved to Molineux.
Kenny Jackett: "If we play to our potential we can get a result against anybody.
"Similarly if we don't get our game right, if we don't play to our maximum, then it becomes very difficult to earn points, particularly on a regular basis.
"Burnley will be strong, they've been a good side in the Championship for a number of years. They've made a strong start, they have good players in every area.
"We need to raise our game. We know what we have to do."
Sean Dyche: "I require certain standards from myself, my staff, and that lends itself to the players.
"They take ownership of that, hopefully, it took me probably six months to get it, change of group, of personnel, and since then, the professionalism of everyone here has been outstanding.
"There is a humbleness about our work. You have to be ready every single time, and you have to find different ways of operating and winning."
THE REF
In his last match Jonathan Moss sent off Jose Mourinho (during Chelsea's 2-1 defeat at West Ham). Perhaps not surprisingly, he's now been demoted to the Championship for just his fifth second-tier fixture since 2013.
Likes a red card, having dished out nine last season, including one to Burnley's Mike Duff, also against West Ham.
His last Wolves game was a 1-1 home draw with Derby in August 2012, when he kept his red and yellow cards in his pocket.
