Wolves against Bournemouth is not necessarily a game that Premier League fans would expect to be a battle between two teams sitting comfortably in the middle of the pile.
The two sides have shown great ambition this season, and both will hope their performances are a sign of things to come.
They share the desire to travel to Warsaw, Alkmaar or Macedonia on a Thursday night, and three points for either side would be a step in the right direction if they want to achieve that goal.
After the departure of Julen Lopetegui so close to the start of the season, many tipped Wolves to be fighting for their lives.
Some eyebrows were raised when the man who replaced the former Real Madrid, Sevilla, Porto and Spanish national team coach was Gary O’Neil, who had come off the back of his first season in management with Bournemouth.
However, Wolves have defied the odds and find themselves in a steady mid-table position, sharing the same ambition as Bournemouth to rise to those coveted European spots sooner rather than later.
They come into this game winless since the beginning of March, and a return to winning ways is long overdue.
Bournemouth, like Wolves, have surprised a few this season.
Having had a slow start to the campaign, critics were soon to have their say on whether the sacking of Gary O’Neil and the appointment of Andoni Iraola was the right decision.
It is fair to say that it has worked out well for both parties, but the Cherries' new boss will be keen to get one over on his predecessor.
Bournemouth will arrive at Molineux after two defeats in their last three games, with a controversial draw against Manchester United in between.
Rather like their forthcoming opponents, the south coast outfit will be keen to get some more points on the board if they are to close the gap on the teams above them.
In the reverse fixture earlier this season, it was Dominic Solanke who broke the deadlock at the Vitality Stadium.
However, it was two goals at either end of the second half that saw Wolves earn a comeback victory, with Matheus Cunha netting in the 47th minute.
The momentum swayed further in the visitors' direction after Lewis Cook saw red for a headbutt on Hwang Hee-Chan.
Sasa Kalajdzic broke Cherries' hearts in the 88th minute, placing beyond Neto after a mistake just outside of the box from Philip Billing.
Another closely fought affair is to be expected, this time in the West Midlands.
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Team News
Wolves
Gary O'Neil revealed in his press conference that a few of his injured players could be making a return against Bournemouth.
Nélson Semedo, Matheus Cunha, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will all be considered by the Wolves boss.
Rayan Aït-Nouri, Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina have been given the all-clear by the former Bournemouth boss, and they will all be in contention for a starting spot.
Pedro Neto and Craig Dawson also will miss this match, the latter out for the season after going in for surgery for a groin injury.
Bournemouth
In his press conference, Andoni Iraola confirmed he has no new injury concerns.
However, with none of their sidelined players set to return, the Cherries will work with the same squad that were defeated at Villa Park on Sunday.
Luis Sinisterra and Ryan Fredericks are unlikely to appear for the rest of the season, Sinisterra having been substituted just 39 minutes in against Man United with a suspected hamstring strain.
Tyler Adams, Chris Mepham, Romain Faivre and Marcus Tavernier remain unavailable.
They, unlike Sinisterra and Fredericks, will eye a return before the season comes to a close.
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Likely Lineups
Wolves
Sá; Santiago Bueno, Kilman, Toti; Doherty, M. Lemina, J. Gomes, Doyle, Aït-Nouri; Sarabia, Hwang
Bournemouth
Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Kerkez; Solanke
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Key Players
Wolves - João Gomes
João Gomes was a late January 2023 signing for Wolves, arriving for a fee of just over £16,000,000 from Flamengo.
Since then he has amassed 29 Premier League appearances and made his debut for his homeland, Brazil.
The Rio de Janeiro-born midfielder has been a key component of Gary O’Neil’s side this campaign.
Gomes has proven a versatile option to use, whether shaping up on the right wing, in a deep midfield role or driving forward in the 10.
While Gomes’ attacking output numbers are hardly anything to write home about, with just the two goals and singular assists to his name this season, an 84% pass accuracy per game proves Wolves’ number eight is reliable in shifting the ball around.
Out of possession, the Brazilian boasts strong numbers.
With 5.4 ball recoveries per match and only being dribbled past just over once per match, Gomes will be key to the Wolves midfield as they come up against an energetic Bournemouth side.
Bournemouth - Justin Kluivert
The obvious player to pick for this would be Dominic Solanke, however, he is not the only one having a strong season.
Kluivert has seven goal involvements to his name, which considering he has mainly plied his trade in the number 10 role points to a strong start to life in England.
He became the second person this century to score in each of the big five European leagues after scoring against Sheffield United back in November.
At the south coast club, we have seen players struggle to play in the 10 under Andoni Iraola.
Alex Scott, Hamed Traoré, and Philip Billing have all failed to nail down that starting spot.
This is a testament to the twice-capped Dutch international, as it takes a certain calibre of player to come in and nail that starting spot in what is evidently a tough position.
The stats show that the former Ajax youth prodigy has been in good form as of late, with two goals and an assist in his last four games.
After a blank against Aston Villa, he will be looking to pick up where he left off against Man United back on home soil.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
Wolves welcome Bournemouth to Molineux Stadium.
What time is kick-off?
The game will begin at 19:45 BST on Wednesday 24 April.
How can I watch it?
This game is not available to watch live in the UK, but highlights will be on both teams' YouTube pages in the hours after full-time.
