#1 Up for the cup
Wolves are looking to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup for the third time in the past five seasons when they take on the side from West Yorkshire on Wednesday night, having not made it to that stage of the competition in any of the previous five attempts. In the last round, Wolves were drawn at home against Championship outfit Preston North End, earning their first victory in all competitions this season thanks to an impressive first-half showing. Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore found the back of the net for the hosts – the first following a slick team move, before the Spaniard thundered home a stunning volley – but after Hee Chan Hwang’s penalty was saved, Ben Woodburn made it an uncomfortable second-half for Wolves, who eventually did enough to make it into the hat.
Leeds began their League Cup campaign in similar fashion, with the Premier League side drawn at home against EFL opposition in Barnsley. After going two goals ahead, thanks to Luis Sinisterra’s impressive 25-yard finish and a Mateusz Klich penalty, the Whites saw their lead halved 10 minutes before the break as the side from South Yorkshire hit back through skipper Mads Andersen. Barnsley even missed a penalty of their own minutes later. Leeds brought on reinforcements in the second-half, but it was the two scorers who combined as Sinisterra set up Klich to curl home his second and secure his side’s place in the next round.
#2 Renewing acquaintances
Wolves versus Leeds is one of seven all-Premier League ties taking place in this round of the cup, meaning several top-flight clubs will be dropping out of the competition this week, but despite having already seen each other at close quarters this season in the league, the line-ups could look quite different if changes are made by either manager. The old gold headed to Elland Road on the opening day of the 2022/23 Premier League season and managed to take an early lead through Daniel Podence, but Leeds hit back through a Rodrigo finish, before Rayan Ait-Nouri inadvertently put the ball past Jose Sa to give the hosts the points.
From the Wolves squad that day, six players will not be among Steve Davis’ options for Wednesday night having either left the club permanently or on loan during the summer transfer window, or are among the long-term injured. While Leeds changed their team dramatically for the second round of the cup, which came just two weeks after their meeting with Wolves, with just Illan Meslier and Diego Llorente starting both games. But being a battle of the Premier League clubs, would the standard of opposition tempt both bosses to go with a stronger line-up at Molineux?
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 6, 2022
#3 A chance to impress
Every minute on the pitch for Wolves’ players during this week will be an audition for incoming head coach Julen Lopetegui as the team look to impress their new boss ahead of his first day on the job on Monday. The Spaniard arrives in Wolverhampton for the first time later this week, but he will surely be keeping a close eye on the next two matches and watching with interest. With the visit of Leeds sandwiched between the Premier League meetings with Brighton and Arsenal at Molineux, it’s been a busy week of games, and although Davis said he will opt for the ‘strongest possible team’ on Wednesday evening, he also admitted he will be keeping Saturday in mind when it comes to selection.
This could pave the way for some of the players on the fringes of the squad to get their chance from the off. At the weekend, the Wolves supporters got their first sighting of Connor Ronan in a senior match in 1,833 days, as he came off the bench against Brighton. Coincidentally, his previous outing in old gold at Molineux happened to be at the same stage of the League Cup more than five years ago, as he appeared during a 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers in the third round, setting up a memorable night at the Etihad in which then-Championship Wolves were more than worthy of victory over Manchester City, before crashing out on penalties.
A @premierleague debut for @ConnorRonan10 yesterday 🐺 pic.twitter.com/SMz8x4ibdk
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 6, 2022
#4 Changing the Christmas plans
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the horizon and due to start in just 12 days’ time, Wolves, Leeds and their fellow top-flight clubs will have a long six weeks without competitive football, but whoever wins on Wednesday night will see the victory have a big impact on their Christmas plans. Although the Premier League doesn’t resume until Boxing Day, the fourth round of the Carabao Cup is scheduled to take place the previous week, with games slated for the week commencing 19th December – just one day after the World Cup final. This could prove to be a big turnaround for the clubs involved, especially those with players who make it all the way in Qatar.
For Wolves, this could also bring forward the date of Lopetegui’s first official game in charge of the side. Currently, his opening fixture as head coach is due to be the visit to Goodison Park on 26th December as Wolves take on Everton, but a win on Wednesday would see the old gold in the hat for the last 16 of the cup and an early Christmas present for supporters.
