Midlands | Wolves look to recover from opening day defeat

Bournemouth v Wolves preview

Bournemouth host Wolves at the Vitality Stadium as both teams seek to start their Premier League campaigns on a positive note.

Author | Peter Grainger

Stadium | Vitality Stadium

Wolves v Man City

Both sides will not be overly discouraged after conceding four goals each in opening-day defeats to title favourites, but both sides will be keen to put that behind them when they meet on the south coast this Saturday.

Wolves teams news

With close to a full squad available, Gary O’Neil will face several selection dilemmas on Saturday as Wolves look to recover from their opening-day defeat against Manchester City. Summer arrivals Jhon Arias and Fer Lopez began on the bench last weekend, while Jackson Tchatchoua, the latest addition, could be handed a debut at right wing-back. Ki-Jana Hoever impressed in that role against City and may keep his place. Yerson Mosquera has returned to full training and is in contention to make his first appearance since last September following a long spell out with a knee injury.

Erling Haaland scored twice while new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki also found the net on their Premier League debuts as Wolves struggled to make an impact. Head coach Vitor Pereira will be eager to secure some points before the end of the month. They will be hoping that some of their new signings will be key as they look to start moving on from the departure of Matheus Cunha.

Bournemouth team news

Bournemouth in pre-season action

Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, could welcome a number of fresh faces into his Bournemouth squad after last week’s trip to Anfield. Ryan Christie is back in training, although Justin Kluivert may have to wait a little longer for a return, with a place among the substitutes more realistic. The Cherries have added Ben Doak from Liverpool and Amine Adli from Bayer Leverkusen, both of whom are pushing for involvement this weekend. Enes Unal and Lewis Cook remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

Winger Antoine Semenyo was once again Bournemouth’s standout performer last weekend, despite a brief stoppage following an alleged racist comment directed at him. His brace temporarily levelled the score against Liverpool before Federico Chiesa and Mo Salah struck late to secure all three points for the hosts. Semenyo is expected to be key again.