Wolves v Everton betting preview: Prediction & free betting tips for Premirr League game at Molineux
All eyes are on Wolves this season but big-spending Everton can make life hard for them in their Premier League return in the evening kick-off.
Wolves v Everton (1730 BST BT Sport)
Big spending Wolves take on even bigger spending Everton in an intriguing Saturday team-time kick-off that will give us an interesting marker of how the Sky Bet Championship winners measure up in the Premier League.
Wolves are in the strange situation of being a newly-promoted side with sky-high expectations given their financial muscle and how they performed last season - just simply staying in the top flight is not enough to satisfy their ambitions.
Facing Everton is by no means the easiest introduction back into the top flight though, but this meeting at least comes at home and at the start of the season - with Toffees boss Marco Silva not calling upon deadline day additions Yerry Mina, Bernard or Andre Gomes.
Richarlison and Lucas Digne will make their debuts for an Everton side that finished eighth last season, let's not forget, in what was largely described as a disaster, so while having the well-fancied newboys as 11/8 favourites is not surprising it's certainly not the bet for me.
Molineux will be rocking with excitement, anticipation and expectation, but Everton seemed to have been forgotten in this equation and with Silva at the helm that could be a dangerous mistake to make - they may not win but they will at least match the newcomers blow for blow.
Prediction: Wolves 2-2 Everton (Sky Bet Odds: 16/1)
Both managers like to play expansive, entertaining football, and with that usually comes chances and goals. Everton have great quality going forward and that could well take Wolves by surprise, but the hosts themselves can score goals.
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals in the match at 6/5
As above, we fancy goals to come in this one. We're guessing a bit, as with all first day games but there's more than enough to suggest this is a banker.
Goalscorer: Cenk Tosun to score in 90 minutes at 13/8
He's got absolutely no limelight whatsoever, but Cenk Tosun had a sneaky good time of things since joining Everton in January, scoring five goals but looking like he could score many more. Big Sam may have been right about him after all! It'd be no surprise to see him up near the 20 goal mark this season - starting today.
Suggested RequestABet: Both teams to score, over 2.5 goals and 6+ corners each at 16/1
Since we fancy goals, that also brings corners into play and, while the number's a touch high, that's what's pumping our price up.
Opta Stats
- Wolves are without a victory in their last six league clashes with Everton (D4 L2), last tasting victory against the Toffees in May 2004 (2-1 at home).
- Wolves have failed to find the back of the net in each of their last three home league meetings with Everton (including two 0-0s), and have scored in just two of their last eight league games at Molineux against the Toffees.
- This is the second time Wolves are facing Everton in their opening match of a league campaign – the previous time was in 1957-58, a season in which Wolves won the second of their three English top-flight titles.
- Everton are unbeaten in their last six Premier League opening weekend fixtures, with four of these ending level (W2 D4 L0).
- This will be Wolves’ first Premier League game since a 2-3 loss at Wigan in May 2012. They’ve not won any of their last 14 games in the top-flight (D4 L10).
- Everton have won each of their last five Premier League games against newly promoted sides, keeping a clean sheet each time. They’ve never won six in a row against promoted clubs previously in the competition.
- Everton have won two of their last four away league games (D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 25 beforehand (D10 L13).
- Everton’s Theo Walcott scored in his only previous Premier League match at Molineux, netting for Arsenal in a 3-0 win in April 2012.
- Everton boss Marco Silva managed Hull for 18 games in 2016-17 and Watford for 24 games in 2017-18. He’s the first manager in Premier League history to have taken charge of three different clubs across his first three seasons in the competition (when the seasons are played consecutively).
- Wolves manager Nuno is looking to become the first manager to win his first Premier League game in charge of the club –Terry Connor drew, while Dave Jones and Mick McCarthy lost their first top-flight matches for Wolves.
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