Date: Saturday 7th February
Kick Off: 15.00
Venue: Molineux
After James Henry’s last gasp equaliser against Bolton last weekend, Wolves stretched their unbeaten run to eight games. The form Wolves have shown in the past 6 weeks has seen us go from mid-table to the verge of the playoffs, something that didn’t seem realistic at the start of December after five loses on the bounce.
Our recent run of games is all the more impressive as they have been without creator-in-chief Bakary Sako for the past four matches while he was away on international duty. Though he still divides opinion amongst some fans, it’s hard to deny we lack a spark going forward when he isn’t playing. Having managed to keep Sako in the transfer window, he will be at the club until at least the summer which can only help our promotion push.
In other transfer news, Leon Clarke has moved to Wigan on loan. Though he wasn’t a starter, he has been a regular fixture on the bench and his departure has left the club with only Dicko and Afobe as first team strikers at the club. One possible option to bolster our attacking options might be to bring Kevin Doyle back into the fold. Although some fans haven’t forgiven Doyle for saying he was struggling to motivate himself last season, surely he is a better option up front than Van La Parra or recalling McAlinden or Cassidy.
The main concern for Kenny Jackett is the injury to Carl Ikeme. Ikeme has been instrumental to over the past 18 months and it is a shame he will be out for 6-8 weeks with a foot injury. Champion’s League winner Tomasz Kuszczak will come into the fold and make his debut on Saturday.
Reading have been inconsistent this season and are currently 16th in the table. With Steve Clarke now at the helm, he will be hoping to get The Royals back on track for a top 10 finish. There will be a large amount of expectation on new signing Yakubu, who signed on a free transfer in January. The 32 year old (yes, 32) has a very good record in England and if he’s fit to play could give Batth and Stearman a lot to think about.
Danger Men
Wolves
Kenny Jackett will be very pleased to have the duo of Sako and Dicko again his disposal once again. The French Connection have a real partnership on the pitch and their combination play has been missed in the past few weeks. Following Sako staying at Wolves at least until the end of the season and Dicko back to full fitness, the duo will be hoping to be doing the Nae Nae on Saturday.
Reading
Oliver Norwood is Reading’s main creative outlet. The former Manchester United youngster excellent set piece delivery and a very effective passer of the ball and could cause our midfield a lot of trouble.
Pavel Pogrebnyak will have fond memories of playing Wolves after scoring a hat trick during his time at Fulham in 2012.
In defence, Michael Hector has been one of the highlights of Reading’s season. The 22 year old broke into the team and has looked very good at the heart of the Royals defence. He also scored his first goal for the club against Wolves in the 3-3 draw earlier this season.
Fancast Predictions
Luke Thompson – 2-0
David Evans 2-0
Match Odds
Wolves Win- 21/20
Draw – 12/5
Reading Win – 13/5
First goal scorer
Benik Afobe – 5-1
Simon Cox – 7/1
Yakubu – 7/1
Nouha Dicko – 11/2
Bakary Sako – 11/2
Ways to follow the match:
@OfficialWolves and @TimNash_star will provide live updates on the match.
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