Date: 18/4/15
Venue: Molineux
Kick-off: 12:15pm
Two losses on the bounce have meant that Saturday’s game against Ipswich Town is a real crunch game in deciding who will enter the playoffs in May.
The defeats to Birmingham and Middlesbrough have knocked confidence throughout the Molineux fanbase but both management and the players insist they still have the fight to drag themselves back into the top six.
Wolves currently sit three points outside the top six and a loss may all but put an end to any sort of playoff chances.
Other results can still go in our favour meaning we would still have a slim chance of upsetting the top six, but the general consensus is that the winner here stands in great stead of making the playoffs.
It is somewhat typical of football that everything comes down to a game with a club who possess so much of our history within their ranks.
Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy had a fantastic near six year spell with Wolves in which he achieved promotion to the Premier League and kept us afloat for two seasons, before ultimately getting sacked. His time at the club is many younger fans fondest time supporting Wolves with victories over Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool going down in Wolves folklore.
His assistant manager Terry Connor’s spell with Wolves goes back even further to 1999 where he worked as both a coach and assistant manager and even briefly managed the club following McCarthy’s departure. Not long after Stale Solbakken came into the club in 2012, he decided to join McCarthy at Ipswich to regain his role as his assistant manager.
McCarthy has got the best of us both times he has faced his former club with a 2-1 win earlier this season being preceded by a 2-0 embarrassing defeat back in the 2012/2013 season.
Although one thing fans can take solace in is that Ipswich’s current away form is not at all favourable with only one win coming from their last five away matches, a late 1-0 victory against Watford at Vicarage Road.
As spoke about in the Middlesbrough match preview, this young side appears to have a tendency to derail in pressure situations and this is something that will need to be shaken off in time for Saturday at 12:15. Fans will no doubt be in full force yet again and the South Bank will be rocking in front of the Sky TV cameras.
Kenny Jackett has done remarkable job getting Wolves to where we are as very few fans were expecting a promotion charge this season and the fans should repay that by not getting on the teams back if things get off to a bad start.
If Wolves play the way they are capable of there is no reason we could not come away with all three points.
Danger Men
Wolves
Nouha Dicko found himself on the bench for the midweek trip to Middlesbrough and fans will be clamouring for his return to the side against Ipswich. His link up play with Afobe, McDonald and Sako, especially at home, has been key to our successes so far this season and his pace up front adds that extra dimension to our play.
Ipswich
Christophe Berra spent three and a half at Wolves being drafted in during the January transfer window of the Championship winning season. He never managed a single goal for club during his stay but in his two years at Portman Road has remarkably bagged 11 goals in all competitions. Despite being looked upon as quite an average player during his time at Wolves he is currently viewed as one the Championship’s best players leading the stats on both clearances and blocks.
Match odds
Wolves 11/8
Draw 23/10
Ipswich 19/10
First goal scorer
Benik Afobe 9/2
Nouha Dicko 5/1
Bakary Sako 11/2
Daryl Murphy 11/2
Freddie Sears 13/2
Stephen Hunt 12/1
You can follow the match on twitter through @officialwolves, @TimNash_Star and of course our own coverage @wwfcfancast
images via www.greenun24.co.uk, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.expressandstar.com footballleagueworld.co.uk
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