Wolves v Leeds preview: Nuno still looking for solutions

So far this season that's exactly what they've found.

Opposition teams are now regularly changing their usual formation or style to try and counter-act the league leaders...but the head coach isn't particularly fussed with what plan Reading, Leeds of any other team comes up with.

"I cannot think what the other team is going to do, honest," he said. "We analyse, we try to predict the line up, but then it’s about the solutions for us in the pitch.

"For you to have the solutions we have to train them, we have to go through them, the players must feel the things we want to achieve for them to produce when the problem comes.

"At the same time we have to look at what other team does and neutralise that.

"We cannot predict much more than the line up. I know what we want to do as a team – grow and build and achieve what we want, to win games.

"It’s easy to speak (about solutions) but very difficult to do it. It’s like having a bag of tools and knowing which tool you have to use in each moment...decision making."

There hasn't been much for Nuno to grumble about this season but his team's below-par game management has come up once or twice.

Not in the past few weeks though – three successive 2-0 wins suggest his players are managing their games just fine.

"It’s not perfect yet," Nuno said. "Managing the game depends on multiple things – the result is one of them.

"This is the most important thing. Then the players you have on the pitch, because each one of them can change a dynamic of the team.

"Many things we have to look at when you want to manage a game. You can manage a game with defensive shape, if you know where you want to press, defend and recover the ball.

"That’s not us – we want to manage the game with our offensive part of the game, always threatening and having control of the ball. It’s a big step but we’re in our way to do it."

Wolves have the benefit of an extra day's rest compared to Leeds, who played Middlesbrough on Sunday.

Nuno says that's enough time to fully recover ahead of tonight's tough test: "We had enough time to rest – the cycle is three days, it’s totally different if we have two days between games.

"That allows us to have all the options that we consider.

"We analyse deeply the opponent we’re going to face. Leeds is a good team and the last game was a very good game for them.

"We know what we’re going to find and we will prepare ourselves for that but always with a focus on us.

"They’re a very dangerous side with quality players up front and good ideas of football."

They may have finished seventh last season but no one knew quite what to expect from Leeds United this time around.

The departures of boss Garry Monk to Middlesbrough and star players Chris Wood and Charlie Taylor to Burnley were a blow.

And in their place came a high number of new signings, mostly from overseas, and an unknown head coach from Cypriot side APOEL in the form of Thomas Christiansen.

But any doubts that the Yorkshire club could mix it at the top end of a ferociously competitive Championship have so far proved unfounded.

Indeed, Leeds were unbeaten and top of the table after seven games, before a terrible run of seven defeats in nine saw them drop down to 10th.

An important 2-1 victory over Monk’s Middlesbrough on Sunday has restored some confidence, though, and seventh-placed Leeds will arrive at Molineux hopeful of causing the league leaders more than a few problems.

After a tough period of results Christiansen was delighted with Sunday’s win.

“The three points were important and the team played very good,” he said.

“We have worked hard over the past two weeks and we believed we would take the three points, which we did.

“All of the games are difficult now, on Wednesday we will come up against probably the strongest team in this league.

“We will go there with the same mentality though as we had against Middlesbrough, but we know there are still things that we must improve on and learn from.”

Northern Ireland winger Stuart Dallas has recovered from his recent ankle injury and looks set to travel, while German striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga will be assessed late after suffering with a sickness bug.

There’s likely to be a familiar face in goal with Andy Lonergan the current number one at Elland Road having played seven times since making the switch in the summer.

Ex-Wolves loanee Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has recovered from injury and is fit to play, although he's only featured once in the league since joining from Manchester United on loan.

Predicted line ups

Wolves (3-4-3): John Ruddy; Bennett, Coady, Boly; Doherty, Saiss, Neves, Douglas; Cavaleiro, Bonatini, Jota. Subs: Norris, Batth, Vinagre, N'Diaye, Marshall, Costa, Enobakhare.

Leeds (4-2-3-1): Lonergan; Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Berardi; Vieira, Phillips; Alioski, Hernandez, Saiz; Roofe.

Key players

Wolves – Leo Bonatini: Bonatini was below his best on Saturday and Wolves looked poorer for it. The Championship’s top scorer will be keen to get back on the scoresheet, too.

Leeds – Kemar Roofe: Former Albion youngster who’s enjoying a productive season having scored six goals so far and is likely to lead the line. The Walsall-born winger is quick, creative and dangerous.

Memory lane

Wolves denied Leeds the title on the final day in 1972 with a 2-1 win in front of 53,379 at Molineux. Frank Munro and Derek Dougan scored.

Last five meetings

April 17, 2017 (Ch): Leeds 0 Wolves 1 (Dicko 38)

October 22, 2016 (Ch): Wolves 0 Leeds 1 (Silvio OG 70)

April 19, 2016 (Ch): Leeds 2 (Bamba 60, Diagouraga 64) Wolves 1 (Saville 77)

December 17, 2015 (Ch): Wolves 2 (Afofe 10, Byrne 81) Leeds 3 (Byram 44, 60, Dalls 51)

April 6, 2015 (Ch): Wolves 4 (Dicko 19, 45, Afobe 48 Edwards 88) Leeds 3 (Taylor 11, Batth OG 65, Mowatt 74)