Wolves v Crusaders
Thursday, 19:45
Live on Premier Sports 1
Wolves make return to Europe
Wolves are competing in Europe for the first time since losing in the first round of the UEFA Cup to PSV Eindhoven in the 1980-81 season. It has been a long time coming for Wolves but an excellent Premier League campaign, on their return to the top fight, saw them finish seventh and earn a place in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were rewarded after a memorable season where they held their own in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Raul Jimenez was a major success with the Mexico striker scoring 17 goals in all competitions for the club. The side were also complemented by the ability of midfielders Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.
Wolves come into their European qualifier following success in the pre-season Asia Trophy in China. Rui Patricio saved three penalties as the side defeated Manchester City on penalties following a goalless draw. Wolves qualified for the final after a 4-0 win over Newcastle which featured two goals from Diogo Jota and a Morgan Gibbs-White effort.
Crusaders looking for huge upset
Crusaders earned their glamour tie against Wolves after coming through the first qualifying round with a 5-2 aggregate win over B36 Torshavn. After a 2-0 home victory, the Irish side won 3-2 away in the Faroe Islands. Jordan Forsythe’s goal and a brace from Paul Heatley sealed the win to earn a trip to Wolves.
The Irish Cup winners have lost nine of their last 11 away European qualifiers and are huge outsiders to shock the Premier League club. Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter has described it as a once in a lifetime opportunity for his team which probably sums up the size of the task facing his players heading into the first leg at Molineux.
Wolves are a miserly [1.03] which tells you everything you need to know about the differences between the two teams. Regardless of whether Wolves have had a productive pre-season to date, there should be no excuses and a home win looks inevitable. It is of course a non-starter as a betting proposition.
Crusaders are [80.0] to pull off an extraordinary upset but even their most ardent supporters would be hard pressed to make a case for them. The draw is as big as [36.0] but again making a convincing argument for this is fanciful. A Wolves win has to be an absolute banker but finding a smidgen of value on this match forces us to look at different markets.
Jota looked increasingly comfortable in the Premier League and the Portuguese striker ended the season with two goals in his last four games. Jota opened the scoring during Wolves’ recent friendly win over Newcastle and the confident 22-year-old should have plenty of chances to net against Crusaders. Wolves are expected to win with something to spare and Jota looks worth backing to score the first goal at 3/1.
Opta Stat
Wolves are unbeaten in their last 11 competitive matches at Molineux (W9 D2), with their last defeat there coming in their first home game of 2019 against Crystal Palace.
Follow Simon’s bets on Twitter @watfordtipster
Source: Betfair Europa League
