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Wolves vs Brentford predictions: Cunha can score for cunning Wolves
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Simon Barlow
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Molineux will be the venue for Saturday's clash between Wolves and Brentford
Molineux will be the venue for Saturday's clash between Wolves and Brentford

- Wolves have won four of their last six Premier League games 
- Matheus Cunha has scored nine goals in his last 14 appearances 
- Recommended Bet: Matheus Cunha to score and Wolves to win

Wolves will look to maintain their top-half status in the Premier League when they take on relegation-threatened Brentford at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.

Wanderers recorded their fourth Premier League win in six — and a second over Chelsea during that span — when Matheus Cunha's hat-trick propelled them to a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Brentford snatched the lead for a second game in a row but ultimately fell to a 3-1 loss at home to a Phil Foden-inspired Manchester City on Monday night.

Results elsewhere mean that the Bees could even slip into the bottom three for the first time this season if they suffer a sixth straight top-flight away defeat.

Team news

Gary O'Neil has the dilemma of whether to change a winning team after the returns of Hee Chan Hwang and Boubacar Traore from international duty.

Hwang could be preferred over Pablo Sarabia in attack, but the midfield duo of Joao Gomes and Maria Lemina has been rock solid and seems unlikely to change.

The Wolves boss is likely to stick with a 3-4-3 system, which he used against Brentford in the FA Cup last month. 

As for Brentford, Yoanne Wissa and Saman Ghoddos are available again after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup respectively.

But Thomas Frank could name an unchanged team, despite seeing his side overwhelmed by Manchester City last time out.

Frank will not want to break up the burgeoning partnership between Ivan Toney and Neal Maupay, despite Wissa's good form earlier this season.

Midfielder Josh Dasilva sustained a 'significant' knee injury in training last week while Bryan Mbeumo (ankle), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Rico Henry (knee) and Kevin Schade (groin) all remain under treatment.

The stats

With 15 games still to play, Wolves have already eclipsed the number of Premier League goals they scored in two of their past three seasons (36 in 2020-21 and 31 in 2022-23). They are just one more goal away from matching their figure from the 2021-22 season (38). 

And Cunha has been directly involved in 12 goals in Wolves' last 12 Premier League matches (seven goals and five assists).

Meanwhile, Brentford have dropped a league-high 26 points from winning positions in the Premier League so far this season. 

The Bees have now lost more games than they have won when opening the scoring this term and have gone 12 games without keeping a top-flight clean sheet.

Thomas Frank's Brentford have dropped 26 points from winning positions so far this season
Thomas Frank's Brentford have dropped 26 points from winning positions so far this season

Prediction

Wolves have surprised many this season, not least Chelsea, and appear to have the tactical flexibility to cause Brentford plenty of problems this week.

O'Neil's recent switch of Cunha from being the spearhead of his attack to a left-sided forward role has unlocked the Brazilian's goalscoring potential too.

Cunha now receives the ball facing forward instead of with his back to goal and his confidence has grown as a result. 

With nine goals in his last 14 games in all competitions he looks like the outstanding candidate to back for an anytime goal in what should be another Wolves home win this weekend.

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Tags

Premier LeagueWolverhampton WanderersBrentford
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