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EPL Wolves vs Manchester United Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction

With excitement building and anticipation growing ahead of kickoff, Premier League betting fans are already diving into the odds and assessing both teams, hoping to find the best value. For a detailed, in-depth look at the match, be sure to check out our full preview.

Tim Rickson
Tim Rickson

Last Updated: 2024-12-25

Chad Nagel

7 minutes read

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Premier League

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Premier League//Getty Images

New boss Vitor Pereira welcomes Ruben Amorim and Manchester United to the Molineux Stadium for his first game in charge of Wolves at home, having got off to a flying start with a 3-0 thrashing of Leicester away in his first match.

At the time of writing, Wolves are in 18th place with Manchester United only five spots above in 13th.

Over the 113 games shared between them in history, Wolves have only won 37 to United’s 56, with 20 drawn.

In recent matches, the rivalry has been very one-sided with Wolves winning just one match in their last 12 against The Red Devils.

But with their new manager bringing fresh hope to the relegation candidates, this fixture is likely to be a lot closer than their recent games have ended.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Manchester United Clear Favourites

  1. Home: 14/5 (3.80) – 26,3%

  2. Draw: 14/5 (3.80) – 26,3%

  3. Away: 9/10 (1.90) – 52,6%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change*

Head-to-Head Record

Last Five Meetings

  1. 01/02/24: Wolves 4-3 Manchester United

  2. 14/08/23: Manchester United 1-0 Wolves

  3. 13/05/23: Manchester United 2-0 Wolves

  4. 31/12/23: Wolves 0-1 Manchester United

  5. 03/01/22: Manchester United 0-1 Wolves

Wolves Current Form – WLLLLW

Four straight defeats saw manager Gary O’Neil sacked earlier this month and replaced by 56-year-old Vitor Pereira from Portugal.

He reportedly came straight to training to teach his style of play as soon as possible and his passion and urgency instantly paid off with a huge 3-0 win over relegation rivals Leicester City on December 22, ending a run of four straight losses.

Goals from Goncalo Guedes (19’), Rodrigo Gomes (36’) and Matheus Cunha (44’) sealed the three points for the visitors in what was a vital victory for Wolves, leaving them just two points from safety and with a healthier goal difference.

Goncalo Guedes had an exceptional game; he has had to wait for two seasons before being included in the team. He had scored once and provided three assists in the final seven games but looked like a player with something to prove when he was given a starting position under Pereira.

He along, with the rest of the squad, will be feeling fresh hope and motivation to get out of the end zone and clear into safety.

Key Players To Watch

  • Goncalo Guedes – After two loan spells at Benfica and Villarreal, 28-year-old Guedes has finally earned his place in the first team where he is likely to continue creating chances and scoring goals to keep his place.
  • Matheus Cunha – Brazilian winger, Matheus Cunha, has scored 21 goals for Wolves since signing for the club last summer after a loan spell, and just popped up with a goal in his last game, where he was also awarded Man of the Match.
  • Rodrigo Gomes – The 21-year-old winger signed for Wolves in June for £12.7 million and scored his first goal for his new club in the last game against Leicester. The Portuguese under-21s international proudly said, “it was a moment he will remember forever”. 

Wolves Team News

After a dream start for Vitor Pereira, the new boss has called upon the fans for their support to lift the team through the season, which will start in this fixture with Man United. The home advantage and support from the crowd could drive the team on to another miraculous victory.

Former Everton centre-back Ben Godfrey and Brighton’s Adam Webster have reportedly captured the attention of Wolves ahead of January’s transfer window, where they will have to strengthen their defence after letting in 40 goals, more than any other Premier League club, this season.

Winger Enso Gonzalez returns to training following an ACL injury sustained at the 2024 Olympic Games with Paraguay. The 19-year-old youngster only played once last season, so the Paraguay under-23 international’s return will give the team a welcome boost in their attacking options.

Manchester United: Current Form – LLWWLL

The most successful club in English football are not experiencing a usual season, with more losses than wins so far. They also have a minus-1 goal difference after only scoring 21 – only four teams in the league have scored less.

Despite being able to defeat Manchester City away from home in their fierce rivalry, they have sustained losses to Bournemouth, Spurs, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Brighton, amongst others.

With just two wins from their last six outings, things are not looking for the stricken side. Last season, they finished eighth, so there’s always the expectation that a club as big as United will come good eventually, but right now, it’s looking dire.

Key Players To Watch

  • Bruno Fernandes – 30 years old from Portugal, Fernandes has scored four Premier League goals this season so far, putting him joint top scorer with Marcus Rashford. Bruno has also contributed with five assists, making him the club’s most creative player this season.
  • Amad Diallo – 22-year-old Diallo has scored twice in the EPL and made six assists so far this season. He has five goals in all competitions. This is the youngster’s fifth season at the club since joining in October 2020.
  • Alejandro Garnacho – 20-year-old Garnacho has contributed with three goals and one assist in the league so far this season. The Argentine international is energetic and blessed with speed and skill, heavily influenced by his idol and former Red, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United Team News

Manchester United have a buy-back option for defender Alvaro Fernandez, who they sold to Benfica in the summer, which they could trigger during the January transfer window to boost their squad selection.

Manchester United are hoping to beat Chelsea to the signing of striker Victor Osimhen in the January transfer window. His club, Napoli, are demanding a fee north of £60 million, so the deal will be dependent on the sale of Marcus Rashford.

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Wolves: 3-4-2-1

    Sa; Semedo, Doherty, Bueno, Gomes; Semedo, Andre, J.Gomes, R.Gomes; Guedes, Cunha; Strand Larsen.

  2. Manchester United: 3-4-2-1

    Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez; Dalot, Ugarte, Mainoo, Malacia; Diallo, Fernandes; Zirkzee.

Suggested Bets

If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the popular sportsbooks.

  1. Jorgen Strand Larsen to Score and Wolves to Win: Top striker Larsen didn’t score in the last win, so he is due a goal. (5/1 with Betway)

  2. Correct Score: The odds for Wolves to win 2-0 are extremely high. (18/1 with Betway) (22/1 with Pinnacle)

  3. Wolves to Score First: The home crowd could lift Wolves to start fast and score first again, like when they scored three goals in the first half against Leicester. (11/8 with Betway) (13/10 with Pinnacle)

Value Bets

  1. Bruno Fernandes – Anytime Goalscorer: With four Premier League goals already this season, Bruno to score anytime in the match is worth a punt. (13/5 with 1Win)

  2. Matheus Cunha – Anytime Goalscorer: With a goal in his last match and a total of nine in 18 this season, Cunha is a likely option to score. (9/4 with 1Win)

  3. Both Teams to Score – No: The home team to score only could be likely. (13/10 with Betway) (13/10 with 1Win)

Prediction: Wolves to Win

Both teams arrive at this fixture with 3-0 results in their last game, but the home side won 3-0 and the visitors lost 3-0.

United have only scored 1.24 goals per game, which does not inspire confidence, and to let in more than that, at 1.29 per game, just shows the season they’re currently experiencing.

The Red Devils have only been able to pick up nine points from a possible 24 from away matches, so they haven’t travelled at all well this season.

A third defeat in a row for Manchester United would be disastrous, so they are going to be battling in a big way in this Boxing Day fixture, but Pereira’s arrival has lit a fire under Wolves and this is his first home game in charge, where the crowd will be voraciously behind them.

Taking into account Man United’s poor away record and Wolves’ first match under new management at home, we predict Wolves to win 2-0.

Tim Rickson
Tim RicksonSports Writer

Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.

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