Wolves vs Nottingham Forest: Premier League preview, Gameweek 11, 2022

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Nottingham Forest in a crucial match between two of the Premier League's bottom three. 

Wolves vs Nottingham Forest: Premier League preview, Gameweek 11, 2022
 Morgan Gibbs-White of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers at City Ground on August 24, 2021 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolves via Getty Images)
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By Ethan Lamb

Managerless Wolverhampton Wanderers welcome Steve Cooper's Nottingham Forest to Molineux, with both teams in search of just their second win in the Premier League this season. 

Bruno Lage was shown the door at Wolves after 18 months in charge, with his side sitting within the drop zone after picking up just six points from the opening nine league encounters this season, only scoring three times in the process.

Lage's departure has not stopped the rot though however, with Wolves falling to a 3-0 defeat last weekend at high-flying Chelsea.

Cooper was set to be the next Premier League managerial casualty until the Forest hierarchy offered the Welshman a new contract until 2025.

This was despite his side being bottom of the division, until Monday night, where a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa saw the Reds leapfrog East Midlands rivals Leicester City off the foot of the table. 

Forest have dropped ten points from winning positions so far this season, after failing to maintain an advantage in four out of the five games they have taken the lead in.

Both sides are within a point of each other, and a win for either side could see them move outside of the relegation zone.

Team news

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves head into the game without a manager once again this weekend. Under 21's coaches, Steve Davis and James Collins will again take charge of the first-team squad on Saturday.

Centre half Nathan Collins will serve the final game of his three-match suspension after his tackle on Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. 

Ruben Neves looks set to return to the starting line-up and take the armband, after serving his one-match suspension in the defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend. 

Pedro Neto remains sidelined after damaging his ankle ligaments against West Ham, an injury that will also see him miss the World Cup in Qatar

The hosts' other attacking absences include Raul Jimenez, Chiquinho, and Sasa Kalajdzic.

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Nottingham Forest

Forest boss Cooper confirmed in his pre-match press conference that defender Moussa Niakhate is "nowhere near" returning for his side. 

Niakhate picked up the hamstring injury in Forest's only league win of the season so far against West Ham back in August.

Cooper also confirmed that midfielder Jack Colback will be unavailable for the trip to the Black Country, due to an ongoing back problem.

Omar Richards is a long-term absentee, with a hairline fracture in his shin. The 24-year-old is yet to feature after his summer move from German champions Bayern Munich.

Former Wolves man, and current Forest club record signing, Morgan Gibbs-White looks set to start against his boyhood club for the first time since his permanent exit from Molineux.

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Likely line-ups

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Sa; Semedo, Kilman, Toti, Jonny; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Traore, Costa, Guedes.

Nottingham Forest

Henderson; Williams, Cook, McKenna, Toffolo; Kouyate, Yates, Freuler; Johnson, Dennis, Gibbs-White.

Key players

Ruben Neves

Portuguese midfield maestro Ruben Neves is known for only scoring absolute worldies, and do not be surprised if the returning Wolves captain does it again this weekend.

Opposition goalkeeper Dean Henderson has conceded ten goals from outside the 18-yard-box so far this season, including a run of seven consecutive games of the former Manchester United man conceding from range. 

However, this is not down to poor goalkeeping, just sensational strikes, which was demonstrated by Ashley Young's effort at the City Ground on Monday night. 

Neves possesses a lot of quality and could be the key figure in the meeting on Saturday. 

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Emmanuel Dennis

After joining from Watford in the summer for a reported £20 million, Emmanuel Dennis scored his first goal in the Garibaldi red of Forest against Steven Gerrard's side just four days ago.

Nigerian international Dennis has struggled with minor injuries which have halted his progress at his new club, but in his first start under Cooper, he managed to find the net. 

It is clear that the Reds faithful are yet to see the best of the 24-year-old, and his goal against Villa could be the catalyst to another double-figure Premier League goalscoring campaign. 

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Match details

Where is the match being played?

The match is being played at Molineux, the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers

What time is kick-off?

The game kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, 15 October. 

Where can I watch the game?

For fans in the UK, the match is unfortunately not available to watch live.

However, highlights of the clash between the sides will be available on the Sky Sports website, app and YouTube channel after the full-time whistle.

The highlights will also be broadcast on Match of the Day on BBC One, at 10:30 pm on Saturday.