Wolves will host Brentford at the Molineux on Saturday, desperate to pick up their first Premier League win of the 2025/26 season.

Wolves are yet to win in the Premier League this season ahead of the game vs Brentford this weekend. The Black Country are at the bottom of the table, and they are the favourites to go down to the EFL Championship.

Rob Edwards’s men need to start picking up points if they want to keep their hopes of survival alive. Wolves have made a managerial change, but they have not been able to turn things around. It will be interesting to see if they can improve in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Brentford are in mediocre form as well.

The Bees have picked up just two wins from their last six matches in the Premier League. Keith Andrews’s men are 15th in the table, and they could be easily dragged into the relegation fight if they do not improve.

This is a golden opportunity for the West London outfit to pick up a win against the worst-performing team in the division. It will be interesting to see if they can come out on top. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Wolves

Wolves will be without Dan Bentley (ankle), Rodrigo Gomes (groin), Leon Chiwome (knee), and Fer Lopez (groin) this weekend. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is ruled out for six weeks with a hamstring injury. Tawanda Chirewa and Emmanuel Agbadou are at AFCON. Meanwhile, Yerson Mosquera is serving a suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the 2025/26 season last weekend.

Wolves are likely to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Brentford, with Sam Johnstone in goal. In the back three, Toti Gomes will start alongside Ki-Jana Hoever, and Santiago Bueno.

Jackson Tchatchoua and David Moller Wolfe will start as the wing-backs here. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Brentford on the break. As for the midfield unit, Joao Gomes and Andre will add defensive cover and control to the side from the middle of the park.

Jhon Arias and Hwang Hee-chan will start as the attacking midfielders here. They will look to link the midfield with the attack and help create opportunities for their teammates. Finally, Jorgen Strand Larsen will lead the line for Wolves vs Brentford on Saturday.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Johnstone; Hoever, Toti Gomes, Bueno; Tchatchoua, Andre, Joao Gomes, Wolfe; Arias, Hwang; Strand Larsen

Brentford

Frank Onyeka and Dango Ouattara are away due to AFCON, while Fabio Carvalho is out with a knee injury. Antoni Milambo is injured as well, and Joshua Dasilva (knee) is a late absentee. Meanwhile, Jordan Henderson, Reiss Nelson, and Igor Thiago face late fitness tests to determine their availability after picking up knocks in the EFL Cup tie with Manchester City earlier this week.

Brentford will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Wolves, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Michael Kayode and Rico Henry will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Wolves on the break. Nathan Collins will start in the central defensive partnership alongside Sepp van den Berg.

As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmolyuk will look to protect the defence and win the ball back for their side in the middle of the park. Mikkel Damsgaard will reprise the central attacking midfielder, and he will help create opportunities in the final third.

Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter will start on the flanks. They will look to open up the opposition defence with their pace, flair, and movement. Finally, Igor Thiago will lead the line for Brentford vs Wolves on Saturday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Key Stats

• Wolves are winless in their last 20 Premier League matches (D3 L17). There have only been four longer runs in the competition’s history, with only one of those runs coming without suffering relegation in between (Derby winless in their last 32 games in 2007/08).
• Brentford are without a win in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
• 24 goals have been scored in the last six matches featuring the two teams. The last six meetings between the two teams have seen them pick up two wins each.
• Since the start of last season, only Wolves (17) have lost more away Premier League matches than Brentford (15), with the Bees losing the last four in a row. In December, Brentford have lost nine out of 12 away Premier League matches (W1 D2), winning only at West Ham in 2022.
• Brentford have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (13), drawing 1-1 with Leeds United despite scoring first last time out.

Player to Watch

Igor Thiago

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The Brazilian striker is in impressive form, and he has 12 goals in 16 matches across all competitions. He will look to punish the struggling Wolves defence and find the back of the net here. He will look to open up opportunities for his teammates as well.

Despite going three games without a goal, Igor Thiago is still the second-highest scorer in the Premier League this season (11). Five of his 11 strikes have come from the penalty spot, with only Ivan Toney scoring more penalty goals in a single campaign for the Bees (6 in 2022/23).

Wolves are struggling right now, and they will find it difficult to contain the away team. Igor Thiago is likely to make a defining impact, and he could prove to be the difference between the two teams.

Prediction

Wolves 1-2 Brentford

The home team will look to put up a fight here. They are desperate for the first one of the season. It could lift the spirits around the club. However, the Black Country outfit are lacking in form and confidence. Brentford should be able to take advantage of their vulnerability.

The away team have a better attacking unit, and they should be able to create opportunities and find the back of the net. A narrow victory for Brentford is on the cards here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Keith Andrews and his charges.