Even the most optimistic of Wolverhampton Wanderers fans would be hard pushed to make a case for their club’s Premier League survival as they welcome Bournemouth to Molineux on Saturday.
Rooted to the bottom of the table since early September, Wolves’ five-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an unsurprising end against Manchester City last week, meaning they find themselves 18 points shy of safety, with just one win all season.
New Mane in town
Clearly it is too soon to ask teenager Mateus Mane to fill the boots of summer departure Matheus Cunha, but two goals in his first six career starts mark a promising breakthrough for the 18-year-old, who is also – worryingly – the club’s joint top league scorer.
Wolves have netted a paltry 15 league goals all season, the fewest in the competition by some margin. They’ve also shipped 43, flitting between two goalkeepers in Sam Johnstone and current first-choice Jose Sa, who has been linked with a move to fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.
Wolves are particularly susceptible to conceding goals from outside the box, recording a league-high nine.