Wolves head to Turkey to take Besiktas in the group stage of the Europa League on Thursday.
A lot was expected of Wolves after a phenomenal campaign in the Premier League last season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side finished seventh in the league and made it into the qualifying stages of the Europa League. However, they have struggled so far in the Premier League having won just one of their opening seven games.
A win against another struggling side in Watford last weekend would have boosted their confidence and they now have another opportunity to continue their recent momentum against Turkish side Besiktas who have also had a torrid start to their season.
Abdullah Avcı’s side, like Wolves, have won just one game in the Super Lig so far this season. The Black Eagles have conceded 12 goals in six games, the joint-worst record in the Turkish top-flight. In their first group game in the Europa League, Besiktas conceded four goals against Slovan Bratislava and have since conceded five more goals in their next two games.
Nuno’s side succumbed to a 1-0 defeat away to Braga in their opening group stage game in the Europa League. Wolves dominated the game and boasted more possession, passes and shots at goal but a goal was the only thing that eluded them from coming back home with any points on the board.
Wolves have also struggled to score goals this season. Raul Jimenez hasn’t quite gotten off to the start that he would have liked while summer signing Patrick Cutrone is yet to fully settle into his new side despite being directly involved in five goals in all competitions.
With an almost impossible tie coming up against Manchester City at the weekend, Wolves will need all the confidence that they could possibly get and a win against Besiktas on Thursday would be the perfect way to kick-start their season in Europe as well as in the league.
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