Manchester United will be looking to continue their good start to the season with victory at Wolves tonight.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men beat Chelsea 4-0 on the opening day, but have had to wait eight days for their next fixture. United travelled down to the Midlands yesterday, with a near full squad available to Solskjaer. Eric Bailly (knee injury) is the only long-term absentee, with Alexis Sanchez a doubt due to match fitness amid Inter Milan interest.
“We’ve had a good week, a good training week, a competitive week, so hopefully we can still have the same squad and people available," Solskjaer said before the game.
Manchester United were beaten on both visits to Molineux last season, but Solskjaer has added more strength to his side, with Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James all looking to build on solid debuts.
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We'll bring you build-up, live match coverage and post-match reaction from Molineux.
Solskjaer hints at his game plan
The United manager knows his side need to beat Wolves at their own game tonight.
“They hit you on the break, they can play with the ball as well,” he told MUTV. “They are going to give us loads of difficult questions tonight which we need to answer. Only way to beat them is to be better.”
Team selection verdict
Pereira had to be dropped after last week but James is still a debatable call. United have ample pace and fluidity in attack but are heavily reliant on Pogba to unlock the Wolves defence. Mata, who didn’t start either game at Molineux last season, would also have been a worthy inclusion in the XI but Solskjaer will argue James deserves it on the back of his fortuitous goal.
Solskjaer explains team selection
“Dan (James) has been impressive all pre-season, ever since he came in to club. We feel like tonight might be a game for him. His X-factor, pace getting in behind, stretching Wolves a bit.
“Difficult to come here and get three points.”
You might win something with kids
United continue to utilise youth under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
On the bench
Romero, Tuanzebe, Young, Pereira, Matic, Mata, Greenwood.
One change for United tonight
Daniel James is in for Andreas Pereira, which means a first Premier League start for the Welsh winger.
United line up vs Wolves
Here is a look at the United line up.
De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, ,Maguire, Shaw., McTominay, Pogba, Lingard, James, Rashford, Martial.
Pogba arrives
Let’s hope Molineux is as red as Pogba’s head wear tonight.
Team news is moments away
We expect the official team news to drop in the next five minutes. Stick with us for all the latest.
Dalot might need to wait for his chance
Diogo Dalot will likely get his opportunity playing in the domestic cups and Europe this year.
The welcome Pogba would expect
There were some boos for Paul Pogba as he stepped off the United coach and through the players’ entrance door a moment ago, red headphones on. He was accompanied by Andreas Pereira, who was headphone-less, like most of the United players actually. Nuno Espirito Santo entered a few seconds earlier to raucous chants. Visiting United fans will hope Pogba can be the hosts’ chief antagonist tonight.
Missing men
So there is no place for Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Alexis Sanchez, Diogo Dalot or Fred tonight.
Advantage United?
How much difference will some extra days rest make for United? Wolves, while not overly tested in their Europa League qualifier against FC Pyunik (they won 8-0 on aggregrate and 4-0 on Thursday), have had a mid-week excursion, while the Reds have had eight days to prepare for the game. We know Solskjaer is building his United side around pace, energy and high-pressing, so that bit more freshness in the legs could make a whole heap of difference tonight.
The next batch of players
Gomes, Shaw, Martial, De Gea, Maguire, Rashford, Romero, Matic, Lingard, Young, Lindelof, Pogba, Pereira, Mata.
Players spotted getting off the bus
We’ve seen McTominay, Grant, James, Jones, Tuanzebe, Greenwood and Wan-Bissaka so far.
United squad arrives at Molineux
The team bus has arrived and we’ll bring you and early team news as it comes.
The biggest threat to United?
Wolves’ Raúl Jiménez was involved in seven Premier League goals against ‘big six’ sides last season (4 goals, 3 assists). Only Sergio Aguero (9) and Raheem Sterling (8) were involved in more.
Tuanzebe to feature?
Speaking earlier in the week Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Axel Tuanzebe is still on the verge of the first-team, and he could potentially feature tonight. It would likely only be in the case of a formation shift to three at the back, but would give the young centre-back an opportunity.
The one record backing United tonight
Bit of an odd one this.
Wolves have never won a Premier League game on a Monday in five previous attempts (D1 L4). Only Hull (10) have played more Monday games in the competition without winning.
Of course, this United we’re talking about.
The one change United might make tonight
Some will doubtless ask ‘why change a winning formula?’ In fact, colleague Liam Corless did and there is a simple answer: Andreas Pereira. He just about salvaged an otherwise wasteful performance against Chelsea with the pinpoint cross for Anthony Martial’s goal but Pereira was otherwise overwhelmed.
Paul Pogba is a proven lock-picker but United need another against a compact Wolves defence and Juan Mata is much more adept at that than Pereira. Mata did not start in either of the defeats at Wolves last season and the pace of the game is unlikely to be as frantic as the stretched Chelsea contest.
Familiar opponents but new questions for United
Most people around the ground could probably name the Wolves team now - a full 90 minutes until the teams are officially announced.
That’s how settled Nuno Espirito Santo’s team has been over the past season or two, despite the arrival of players like Patrick Cutrone in the summer.
It will be a back three, wing-backs and a solid midfield trio for the hosts tonight, which will ask new questions of United to the ones Chelsea posed last week.
The players who could yet leave United
There’s nothing further to report on Marcos Rojo or Matteo Darmian with just two weeks to go until the transfer window closes. United have not received any concrete enquiries for either player since Rojo interested Everton on Premier League deadline day.
Inter Milan are interested in Alexis Sanchez but there has been some sensationalistic reporting on that outside the UK. It’s unclear if Sanchez will be here at Wolves tonight. If he isn’t, the chances are he’s gone down to London on a(nother) day off.
Not the most welcoming away day
The last time United won at Wolves they had a proper right winger. Antonio Valencia got a goal and two assists in a 5-0 thrashing in March 2012 and Wolves manager Mick McCarthy got his P45 the next day.
United had some mares at Molineux prior to last season. It was the scene of their 2003-04 title collapse, a fixture synonymous with Kenny Miller and the 2010-11 ‘Unconvincibles’ unbeaten run being ended by Kevin Doyle. Overall, United have lost three of the last four at Wolves and the away dayers will tell you the Steve Bull Stand is one of the worst for an atmosphere, due to the following being spread across the first tier of the stand.
Tonight will tell us more about United
Tonight should give a fair reflection of what kind of a team United are going to be this season. Opening weekend results can be misleading and United’s 4-0 thrashing of a callow Chelsea team with a Premier League novice of a manager flattered them. Wolves, unbeaten against United in three last season, have the same coach, the same players and the same system. It is a timely test as to how accomplished Solskjaer’s side really is.
Not just because of the Molineux results in the spring, but Wolves’ style. Counter-attacking football is United’s and Wolves’s favoured tactic and United are yet to master a more controlled approach under Solskjaer. United are going to be allowed the majority of possession and need to be as threatening as they were at Wolves up until Diogo Jota’s equaliser in the league fixture in April.
United have aspirations to play out from the back, with Paul Pogba the conductor of attacks, and to press aggressively. Over to the players...
Pereria's pre-match message
Andreas Pereira has sent a pre-match message on his official Instagram account.
Thinking positive
Welcome to Wolverhampton. And what a pleasant evening it is in the Black Country with Molineux resplendent in the sunshine. There’s a great deal of history on display here: from the Billy Wright Statue to the Steve Bull Stand. It’s a ground that of course holds unpleasant (recent) memories for United and Solskjaer after those two 2-1 defeats towards the end of last season. There’s a sense that things can be different tonight and United can have their place in the sun.
Confirmed squad members
In an effort to prevent a fanatic from taking a screen grab of the below list and twisting it, here’s some context: these are confirmed squad members, not the confirmed, complete squad. Ie. We know for a fact these players have travelled. We are not saying everyone not listed hasn’t travelled.
David de Gea, Sergio Romero, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Phil Jones, Harry Maguire, Ashley Young, Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Andreas Pereira, Jesse Lingard, Daniel James, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford.
Third time lucky?
United are back at Molineux tonight. Which presumably also means another light show ahead of kick-off, oh the thrills.
Solskjaer drops team news hint
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to have the same match day squad for the clash against Wolves on Monday night as the one he used against Chelsea on the opening weekend.
“We’ve had a good week, good training week, a competitive week so hopefully we can have the same squad and people available,” Solskjaer told the Manchester United App.
“I think so, unless we get something towards the end.”
The unwanted record United could equal tonight
United are winless in their last four Premier League away games (D1 L3). They last had a longer such run on the road between April-November 2014 (seven games under David Moyes, Ryan Giggs and Louis van Gaal).
