Wolverhampton Wanderers will visit AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday, with Wolves chasing their first win over the Cherries since with Willy Boly and Diogo Jota starting in June 2020.
Wolves chasing third-straight Premier League win over Bournemouth
Bruno Lage takes his Wolverhampton Wanderers squad to AFC Bournemouth this week in search of Wolves’ third-straight Premier League win against the south coast side. The clubs last met in June 2020 prior to the Cherries’ relegation during a 1-0 encounter at Molineux.
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Raul Jimenez scored the only goal of the game to keep the points in the West Midlands on the hour mark. The win was enough to keep Wolves level on 49 points after 31 games with fifth-place Manchester United, as they tried to seal qualification to the Champions League.
Neither Wolves nor Bournemouth managed a shot on target during the first-half of the last Premier League fixture between the teams. It marked their fourth encounter since Wolves won the Championship in 2017/18, with the Molineux natives winning in three and a draw.
The sole stalemate occurred on the south coast in February 2019 when Jimenez scored an 83rd-minute penalty. Joshua King had broken the deadlock after 14 minutes, also from the spot. While the Cherries could not come from behind in Wolves’ November 2019 1-2 win.
Jimenez offered Wolves’ second goal after Joao Moutinho broke the deadlock in his team’s last win at Bournemouth in 2019. He also scored in their 2-0 home win over the Cherries in December 2018, and will now hope to make it five in five when they meet this Wednesday.
The 31-year-old is yet to get off the mark after two top-flight appearances so far this term. But the Mexican offered his first goal for the season in Wolves’ 2-1 win over Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, before making his first league start at home to Newcastle United.
Jimenez will now travel to Bournemouth looking to extend his prolific record and Wolves’ winning run over the Cherries. But Lage will not have each star whom Nuno Espirito Santo started in the Molineux outfit’s last win over the south coast side back during June 2020…
Rui Patricio (GK): Roma star opened last Wolves win over Bournemouth
Rui Patricio kept 37 clean sheets over 127 appearances for Wolves across all competitions between 2018 and 2021. Nuno signed the shot-stopper from Sporting Lisbon in a deal that ultimately cost £16m, of which they recouped £10m when selling to Serie A side AS Roma.
Willy Boly (CB): Nottingham Forest in talks to sign wantaway defender
Willy Boly started Wolves’ last win over Bournemouth, but is now looking for a move away from Molineux. Sky Sports note the 13-cap Ivory Coast international did not turn up for the club’s game against Newcastle on Sunday, despite Lage naming him in his matchday plans.
Wolves are now in advanced talks with Nottingham Forest over a deal for the 31-year-old, who moved to the West Midlands from FC Porto in 2018 after an initial loan. Boly has since made 147 appearances for Wolves across all competitions, plus nine goals and four assists.
Romain Saiss (CB): Besiktas sign centre-back after Wolves release this summer
Besiktas have signed Romain Saiss on a two-year contract with the option for a further 12-months after Wolves released the defender this summer. Lage opted to let the 32-year-old leave Molineux after six years and 206 games, despite playing him 32 times over last term.
Conor Coady (CB): Everton ace captained Wolves to last win over Bournemouth
Conor Coady left Molineux after seven years to join Everton on loan with a £12m option to buy this August. The 29-year-old was Wolves’ captain, and boasts 317 appearances for the club in all competitions, but told talkSPORT he felt ‘something is not right’ this pre-season.
Matt Doherty (RM): Republic of Ireland ace joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2020
Tottenham Hotspur signed Matt Doherty from Wolves for £15m in August 2020 following a decade at Molineux. He switched to the West Midlands from Bohemians in 2010 and made 302 appearances for 28 goals and 41 assists, before offering two and eight in 56 for Spurs.
Joao Moutinho (CM): Substituted off in last win over Bournemouth after late yellow
Nuno took Moutinho off in stoppage-time during Wolves’ last win over Bournemouth after the Portuguese received a late yellow card. It marked his seventh of the 2019/20 season so far, and one of 23 in 179 outings with the club – alongside five goals and 23 assists to date.
Ruben Neves (CM): Played second-half of last Wolves win over Cherries on a yellow
Ruben Neves played the entire second-half of Wolves’ last win against Bournemouth on a yellow card. Referee Michael Oliver showed the midfielder his eighth caution of the season on 41 minutes. He would add one more that term for his joint-worst top-flight term so far.
Jonny Otto (LM): Nuno signed still a Wolves regular under Lage now
Nuno signed Jonny Otto on loan from Atletico Madrid in July 2018, before paying £15m for his permanent transfer the following January. The 28-year-old also penned a new contract in February 2021 running to 2025, and has played 113 games with five goals and five assists.
Adama Traore (RW): Winger assisted Jimenez in last Wolves win over Bournemouth
Adama Traore lit up the last Premier League meeting between Wolves and Bournemouth with a scintillating run. Nuno recalled the winger to his starting line-up after he laid on an assist off the bench at West Ham United, and then saw him register his ninth of the term.
The Spaniard built on his earlier blast past three players, firing narrowly over the bar and delivering two inviting crosses to find Jimenez on the hour. Traore sat the ball up for the striker with one of seven assists for Jimenez – the best top-flight partnership that season.
Raul Jimenez (ST): Scored sole goal in last Wolves win over Bournemouth
Jimenez powered the ball into the roof of Bournemouth’s net to seal Wolves’ last win over the Cherries in 2020. The 93-cap international will now hope to strike a fifth in five Premier League meetings when Lage’s squad head to the south coast to open his account this term.
The striker does not have a better hit rate than a 100% goals-to-game record so far against Bournemouth. Jimenez has also only scored more often against one side in fixtures against Everton (5 in 6), Southampton (5 in 7) and Santos Laguna (5 in 8), across all competitions.
Diogo Jota (LW): Portugal forward joined Liverpool in September 2020
Liverpool signed Diogo Jota from Wolves in a £41m transfer in September 2020 after three years at Molineux. He initially moved to England on loan from Atletico Madrid and went on to offer 44 goals and 19 assists in 131 total games. He has 34 and nine in 85 with the Reds.
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