Wolverhampton v Burnley – Premier League Betting Preview and Prediction
Following a solid start of the season, Wolverhampton will welcome Burnley at Molineux Stadium on Sunday, August 25, in hopes they can secure the first W of the 2019/20 Premier League season.
Ambitious Wolves looking for their first prey
With an incredible run in the last term, which earned them Europa League ticket, Wolverhampton Wanderers entered the 2019/20 season with high confidence and even higher ambitions as they look to further improve on their seventh-place finish in 2018/19. While winning the league is something all teams strive to achieve, a top-six finish is a far more realistic goal set in the Wolverhampton camp ahead of 2019/20 season. Knowing well the upcoming season will be one of the hardest in the clubs history, Santos decided to spend almost €100 million during the summer transfer window to reinforce his team. While spending a lot of money does not necessarily mean success, Wolves did sign some very solid additions, leaving us to believe their mission was a success. How successful they will be, however, only time will tell.
Entering the third round fixture against Burnley, Wolverhampton still searches for their first W of the season, and while they have yet to win a match, Santos’s squad did not fail to impress.
In the opening match of the season, Wolverhampton visited Leicester, where they had to settle with a goalless draw. That, however, was not a bad result. On the contrary, it was a very solid one for Wolves, who historically struggle to perform at King Power Stadium (1-4-4). Following their draw against the Foxes, Wolves hosted the Red Devils, who had a lot to prove after a dominant 4:0 win against Chelsea in round one of EPL. Yet, Solskjaer’s men proved only one thing and that is that Molineux Stadium is a tough ground to visit. It’s worth noting United missed a penalty on that night, nonetheless, Wolves performed admirably well which earned them yet another draw (1:1) and another point.
By avoiding defeat at home ground, Wolves now boast with an impressive 11-4-0 record at Molineux Stadium, which extends into 2018/19 EPL season, when Wolves won six out of their last eight league fixtures. All things considered, Molineux Stadium is a fortress for Wolves and while they will most likely not end the season as the strongest home side, we are confident saying that seeing Wolves lose in Wolverhampton will not be a common occurrence this term.
Burnley chasing second win of the season
Unlike Wolverhampton who impressed the last term, Burnley severely underperformed compared to the expectations. While a lot of factors contributed to Burnley’s poor finish (15th place with an 11-7-20 record), the main factor that kept the Clarets from finishing higher was their Europa League obligations, something that Wolverhampton will have to experience on their skin this season.
As for 2019/20 season, Burnley do not have too high expectations, considering they avoided relegation by mere six points last season. Nonetheless, they should enjoy a much steadier season under Sean Dyche, considering they can focus only on their domestic league performance, with no other obligations to distract them. Apart from enjoying a less stressful schedule, not a lot has changed as far as Burnley’s chances to impress this term are concerned. They have signed Rodriguez, Peacock-Farrell and Pieters on a permanent deal while grabbing Drinkwater on a loan, which is nothing ground-breaking in terms of making the team stronger.
The Clarets started off their 2019/20 campaign with a very solid 3:0 win over Southampton at Turf Moor, which catapulted their confidence through the roof. The fixture as a whole, however, was not as one-sided as the score might suggest. Nonetheless, it was Burnley who used their chances far better and won the match fair and square. That win also marked Burnley’s third consecutive W at Turf Moor, including a 6:1 win against nice in late July and 2:0 win against Parma barely a week before their opening EPL fixture.
After a confidence-boosting win in round one, Burnley traveled to London to face off against Arsenal, who needed barely 13 minutes to show who is the boss at the Emirates Stadium. Burnley managed to produce a response half an hour later, however, ultimately had to admit defeat to Emery and his men who won 2:1. By failing to defeat Arsenal in an away game, Burnley will hope for a stroke of better luck against Wolves, who will not go down easily in front of their own fans.
Betting prediction
Visiting Molineux Stadium is not an easy task and there are more than a handful of teams that can confirm that. The most recent victim of the Wolves strength at home turf were Manchester United, who had to settle with only a point and should Wolves produce anything similar on Sunday, Burnley will have a hard time walking away with anything.
Last time Burnley and Wolves met at Molineux Stadium, it was the home side who won with the minimal margin (1:0), which is something they will aim to repeat this weekend. Knowing well their European obligations will sooner or later take a toll on their squad, Wolves will aim to grab as many points as possible before their schedule gets too tight, meaning matches like this are a must-win for Nuno Espírito Santo and his men. With ambitions to finish top six, there will be no room for mistakes for Wolves, who will have to prove to the world they are capable of juggling two balls this term.
Anything less than a win here will be a disappointment for Wolves, meaning they will be under a lot of pressure to perform and win. Nonetheless, Wolves’ performances in the last two league fixtures more than proven they have got the needed quality to face off against any team thrown at them. Be it Leicester, United or Burnley, Wolves will perform up to par and considering United failed to win in Wolverhampton, we can’t imagine Burnley producing anything better.
Prediction: Wolverhampton to win
Odds: 1.87 Pinnacle and SBOBET
We expect the closing odds to be around 1.70 and anything above 1.80 is a great value bet to take.
