Key events
1 min: Heung-min Son tries to wriggle through the centre with the ball at his feet but is disposssessed. Nathan Collins cleans up at the back for Wolves.
Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves is go …
1 min: Tottenham Hotspur get the ball rolling in perfect conditions for a game of football.
Not long now: Referee Simon Hooper and his match officials lead out the two sets of players on a sunny afternoon at White Hart Lane. Kick-off is just a few pre-match handshakes, a coin-toss and a shrill blast of the whistle away.
Antonio Conte: Despite being shown a red card for his post-match set-to with Thomas Tuchel last Sunday, the Tottenham manager will be allowed to take his place in the dug-out today. He was handed a £15,000 fine for his part in the kerfuffle, while Tuchel was given a one-match ban and a £35,000 fine.
“These sanctions are subject to appeal, and Thomas Tuchel’s one-match touchline ban has been suspended temporarily pending the independent regulatory commission’s written reasons for its decision that will be made available in due course,” droned a statement from on high.
Pre-match prediction: While I can’t quite figure out how exactly they’re going to line-up, I fancy Wolves to take something from, or possibly even win this game. There, I’ve said it. Expect a 4-0 win for Spurs.
Those teams: With two appearances in the Portuguese league behind him already this season, Matheus Nunes is drafted straight into the Wolves starting line-up, while Goncalo Guedes makes his first start for the club. Joao Moutinho returns from injury to a side whose front six are all Portugal internationals.
As expected, Ivan Perisic comes in to play left wing-back in place of Ryan Sessegnon, a position he played for Inter throughout the last Serie A season. With Cristian Romero sidelined, Davinson Sanchez gets the nod ahead of Clement Lenglet and Japhet Tanganga in the back three.
Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Sanchez, Dier, Davies, Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic, Kulusevski, Son, Kane.
Subs: Doherty, Richarlison, Gil Salvatierra, Sessegnon, Forster, Tanganga, Lucas Moura, Lenglet, Bissouma.
Wolves: Jose Sa, Jonny, Collins, Kilman, Ait Nouri, Neves, Matheus Luiz, Daniel Podence, Joao Moutinho, Pedro Neto, Goncalo Guedes.
Subs: Jimenez, Hwang, Sarkic, Boly, Nelson Semedo, Gomes, Dendoncker, Traore, Cundle.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)
Today’s match officials
Early team news
Wolves fans are understandably beside themselves with excitement after seeing their club pull off quite the coup by signing the outstanding midfielder Matheus Nunes from Portuguese side Sporting and the 23-year-old could start today despite having spent just two days training with his new teammates. Having come off the bench last weekend, Gonçalo Guedes could make his full debut in place of Hwang Hee-chan. Chiquinho and Raul Jimenez are both sidelined, while Adama Traore is reported to be available for selection after a spell out.
Tottenham Hotspur have lost central defender Cristian Romero to ainjury, so one of Clement Lenglet, Davinson Sanchez or Japhet Tanganga will be drafted in to partner Ben Davies and Eric Dier in their back three. Following his impressive run-out against Chelsea, Ivan Perisic is likely to start in place of Ryan Sessegnon but Richarlison may have to settle for a place on the bench once again.
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the venue for the first of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, with Spurs hosting a Wolves side looking for their first win of the season. Despite not performing anywhere near their best, Spurs showed resilience in rescuing a point against Chelsea last weekend, while Wolves were held at home by Fulham to make it nine consecutive Premier League games without a win for Bruno Lage’s side. Kick-off in north London is at 12.30pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2022/aug/20/tottenham-hotspur-wolves-premier-league-live-score-updates
