Wolves host Sunderland with pride at stake after relegation confirmed

Key facts

• Wolves are bottom of the Premier League with relegation confirmed, having scored a league-low 24 goals this season.
• Sunderland sit 12th, three points behind seventh-placed Bournemouth with four games remaining.
• Sunderland won the reverse fixture 2-0 in October and seek their first league double over Wolves since 1949-50.
• Wolves have lost four of their last five league matches, including three consecutive defeats by an aggregate score of 8-0.
• Sunderland conceded nine goals in their last two games, including a 5-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest.
• Wolves are without goalkeeper Jose Sa and defender Ladislav Krejci due to injury for Saturday's match.
• Sunderland winger Jocelin Ta Bi could return after ankle surgery, while Bertrand Traoré and Nilson Angulo are close to fitness.

Relegated Wolves seek to end miserable run

Wolverhampton Wanderers, already relegated to the Championship, host Sunderland at Molineux on Saturday with little more than pride to play for. Rob Edwards’s side have lost three consecutive matches against West Ham, Leeds and Tottenham by an aggregate score of 8-0, and have failed to score in a division-high 18 of their 34 league games this season. Wolves are the Premier League’s lowest scorers with just 24 goals, and the last team to endure more goalless matches was Norwich City in the 2021-22 campaign (22). Despite their struggles, Edwards insisted his players’ effort cannot be questioned, attributing the team’s plight to a lack of quality rather than a lack of application.

Sunderland aim to bounce back from heavy defeat

Sunderland travel to the West Midlands smarting from a humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, their first home league loss by five or more goals since a 6-1 thrashing by Birmingham City in April 1958. Four of those goals were conceded in the opening 37 minutes, a performance that manager Régis Le Bris described as “painful”. “When you drop your standards just by 10%, your opponent can kill you,” Le Bris warned his players. The result was Sunderland’s fourth home loss in five matches, leaving them 12th in the table but still within three points of seventh-placed Bournemouth and the European qualification places with four games remaining.

Injury updates and potential returns

Wolves will be without two key players for Saturday’s contest. Goalkeeper Jose Sa is a doubt with an ankle injury, having been playing through pain for some time, while defender Ladislav Krejci is progressing but not yet ready to return. Edwards confirmed Krejci joined parts of training but is targeting a comeback the following week. Sunderland, meanwhile, could welcome back winger Jocelin Ta Bi, who has recovered faster than anticipated after ankle surgery. Ta Bi injured his ankle on his full Premier League debut against Fulham earlier this year and was initially expected to miss the rest of the season. Le Bris said Ta Bi trained with his teammates this week and is being considered for the matchday squad. Bertrand Traoré and Nilson Angulo also stepped up their recoveries at the Academy of Light, though next weekend’s home match against Manchester United may be a more realistic return date.

Historical context and recent form

Wolves have lost all four of their Premier League matches against promoted teams this season, but they can take comfort from a run of seven home league games without defeat against Sunderland, winning three and drawing four. The Black Cats, however, have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four league meetings with Wolves, a run stretching back to April 2012, and have won the last two by an aggregate score of 5-0. Sunderland are looking to complete their first league double over Wolves since the 1949-50 season after winning the reverse fixture 2-0 at the Stadium of Light in October. Le Bris’s side have conceded nine goals in their last two league games, following a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa, and only once in their history have they conceded at least four goals in three successive league matches, doing so between September and October 1928.

Edwards defends his players amid fan frustration

Rob Edwards acknowledged the anger among Wolves supporters after three consecutive defeats and relegation, but praised their continued support. “Their support has been incredible,” he said. “I’m absolutely fine with them being angry and venting their frustration because we’re bottom of the league and we’ve lost three games in a row. They’re going to be angry and you have to take it.” Edwards, who left a winning role to take over at Wolves, accepted the difficulty of the season. “I left a really good role and a club that was winning and came into a role where I knew we were not going to keep everyone happy this year. I knew that and I accepted it, so I’m going to have to stay strong, and believe in what we’re doing and what the football club is doing.” He insisted his players are giving their all in training, but conceded that quality has been lacking at key moments.

European ambitions and relegation consequences

For Sunderland, Saturday’s match represents an opportunity to reignite their push for European football. A win would lift them closer to Bournemouth in seventh, while defeat could see them slip further adrift. Le Bris’s side have shown vulnerability on the road, but their recent record against Wolves offers encouragement. For Wolves, the remainder of the season is about restoring some pride and potentially climbing above managerless Burnley, who sit 19th, just three points ahead. Edwards’s team have already avoided Derby County’s unwanted record of 11 points in 2007-08, but will want to finish the campaign on a positive note for their supporters. The match kicks off at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.

The bottom line

• Wolves are bottom of the Premier League with relegation confirmed, having scored a league-low 24 goals and failed to score in 18 of 34 matches.
• Sunderland are three points off the European places and seeking a first league double over Wolves since 1949-50.
• Wolves are without goalkeeper Jose Sa (ankle) and defender Ladislav Krejci (injury) for Saturday's match.
• Sunderland winger Jocelin Ta Bi could return after ankle surgery, while Bertrand Traoré and Nilson Angulo are nearing fitness.
• Sunderland conceded nine goals in their last two league games, including a 5-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest.
• Wolves have lost all four Premier League matches against promoted teams this season but are unbeaten in seven home league games against Sunderland.