César Peixoto and James Morrison have no prior meetings to draw patterns from. Peixoto took the Wolves job on 15 June 2026 after Rob Edwards was moved on, while Morrison made the West Brom role permanent on 30 April 2026 following an interim stint that began in February.
Wolves arrive with a W D L W W run across their last five league games, capped by a 1-0 win over Sheffield United on 13 September. West Brom's recent sequence reads D W W D L, with their QPR draw around the same date a reminder that they can let points slip when transitions go wrong.
The absences are serious on both sides: Wolves are without Raúl Jiménez (knee), Matt Doherty (knee), Sam Johnstone (shoulder), Enso González (knee) and Yerson Mosquera, which is a lot of experience to lose in one go. West Brom are dealing with Mikey Johnston's long term ankle problem and Nolan Galves' knee absence, while Brayann Pereira sits out through suspension after his red card.
Wolves run a 4-3-3 and 14 goals in six league games tells you most of what you need to know. Fer López and Rodrigo Gomes are the creators while André provides the midfield spine and with Jiménez out, Adam Armstrong steps into the lead role. The expectation at Molineux is that Wolves dominate possession and press West Brom into mistakes.
West Brom's 4-2-3-1 is built around two holding midfielders sitting narrow to funnel attacks wide and when the moment to spring arrives, Jimmy-Jay Morgan and Aune Heggebø look to run in behind on the counter. The individual battle worth watching is López against West Brom's full-backs, because if he gets in behind early the whole defensive shape starts to creak.
Pereira's suspension thins West Brom's bench considerably and with Johnston and Galves already out, the options for changing the game late are limited. Wolves' defensive losses are significant too, though Peixoto has more cover available in those areas.
Wolves hold the historical edge in this fixture, with the last meeting ending 2-0 at Molineux in January 2024. West Brom need to prove they can hold defensive standards on the road against a side that has scored 14 times in six league games and there is little in recent history to suggest they can.
The prediction here is 2-0 Wolves. Armstrong leads the line with creative cover from López and Gomes and the likeliest route to a first goal is López isolating the right full-back and Armstrong or Gomes converting the second ball. West Brom will work to stay compact and spring Morgan or Heggebø on the counter but with Pereira suspended and Johnston unavailable their bench options thin out after an hour and the shape starts to give. The squad disruptions fall harder on the visitors and Wolves take the points and the clean sheet.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
