After a classic ‘Battle at the Bridge’ against Chelsea last week, Tottenham hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers in the early kick off of the English Premier League matchday three. This fixture has the potential to be a banana peel for Antonio Conte’s men. Recent history between Wolves and Tottenham has been more of a mixed bag than you might think.
Tottenham have had a woeful time in home fixtures against the West Midlands club. In their last seven home games, they have lost four times. A stat Antonio Conte will want to rectify going forwards as manager of the North London club. Last time these two sides met in London was actually February of this year, in the back half of the 2021/22 season. Raúl Jiménez and Leander Dendoncker both scored for Wolves in a shock 2-0 victory.
Wolves at Tottenham FYIs
Kick-off: Saturday, Aug 20, 12:30 pm local, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tottenham Starting XI Preview Material: Go Here
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
Google Result Probability: Tottenham victory 70% Draw 18% Wolverhampton victory 12%
Watch: USA Network
Team News
For the second week in a row, the team news is pretty sparse for the capital city club. Great for Tottenham and their fans, not so great for me and my word count. Let’s look at who is on the treatment table, who is on the comeback trail and who, if anyone, is suspended for this clash.
Long-term medical room attendant Oliver Skipp remains out of contention. The Spurs academy graduate suffered a hairline fracture to his heel that has kept him out of selection once again. Antonio Conte is confident he will return by the end of the month, but that is providing he doesn’t suffer any new injury setbacks.
Skipp’s only friend on the treatment table is new signing, Frenchman Clément Lenglet. Spurs left the former Barcelona defender out of last week’s clash with Chelsea as a precaution. Tottenham medical staff only considered him a minor doubt for this one. I expect him to be fit in time for the team sheets to be announced this weekend.
Stueys Two Cents
Although Spurs left the Battle of the Bridge with a point (and some street cred), Antonio Conte cannot be happy with how his team played. They were clearly second best for the entire fixture. If they play anything like that against Wolves on Saturday, they will drop points.
Wolves are still searching for their first win this campaign. If Tottenham doesn’t come correct, North London will be a happy hunting ground once more for Wolverhampton.
Stuart Kavanagh is a journalist currently residing in Broken Hill, Australia. He writes for the Barrier Truth newspaper, along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, He also co-hosts the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast and contributes at edgeofthecrowd.com when time permits.
Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.