Wolverhampton Wanderers

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

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Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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Good for Emmanuel Agbadou, who played a game and a half for Ivory Coast over the past few days and was on the field as they confirmed a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Sometimes a feel-good moment like that is all it takes to throw a switch on a player's form. Wolves fans will hope that will be the case for Agbadou, who has been one of the most perplexing features of the season.

You could expect that Wolves would miss the quality of Matheus Cunha. It was harder to budget for the most influential signing of last season suddenly appearing so confused. A noisy night in Abidjan might be all it takes to fix it.

Good too for Santiago Bueno, one of the few Wolves players to take a step forward so far this season. He captained Uruguay in a friendly against Uzbekistan in Malaysia, which on first reading feels like the sort of delightfully random fixture until recently only seen in computer games.

Yet leading out your country, whenever and wherever, is a big deal and something to be rightfully proud of as he travels back to Wolverhampton.

Even with Matt Doherty injured and Jhon Arias not selected by Colombia, Wolves sent a record 17 players out on international duty in this break, and Vitor Pereira and his staff will be busy counting them all back.

Saying that, even in an expensive seat, it is a long way back from Abidjan, or Malaysia - or Seoul, where Hwang Hee-chan went for two friendlies without, alas, leaving the bench.

Modern Premier League travel arrangements may spare the globetrotters from a long Friday afternoon counting service stations on the M1 towards Sunderland.

But they still do not leave much time for Pereira to work in detail with his players to reinforce the good things from the past two draws, or put right the faults that cost points.

Yes, all the other managers have similar problems, but Wolves really do have to get the next few games right.

What happens against Sunderland and Burnley in the next two matches will not decide the season, but the results will have a major bearing on the atmosphere around the club.

Win, and the mood will lift as the path to safety becomes clearer. Lose to the two sides just promoted and the disquiet already heard from many supporters will become despair.

Listen to full commentary of Sunderland v Wolves on BBC Radio WM (95.6FM), Saturday at 15:00 BST

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

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Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

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Sam Johnstone has been a revelation for Wolves this season - and few saw it coming.

Splashing out on another keeper initially suggested Jose Sa would leave. He didn't.

Instead, the pair fought for the gloves. Sa won that fight last season, and Johnstone struggled so much that Pereira rarely looked past his countryman.

This year, it has flipped. After a first outing against West Ham in the Carabao Cup, Johnstone seized his chance.

He impressed on his first league start at Newcastle, then backed it up with strong displays against Everton in the cup, and Spurs and Brighton in the league.

Last season, shots seemed to whistle past him. This term, he is producing big moments: the save from Mohammed Kudus against Spurs and the stop from Georginio Rutter stand out.

The data backs it up. FotMob rate Johnstone as the third-best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season with a 7.5 rating, behind only Nick Pope and James Trafford. For a player many expected to move on in the summer, that is some turnaround.

He could easily have left. After a rough 2024-25, reports linked him with Sunderland and Burnley. Nothing materialised, and at 32 he stayed put.

Over the summer he doubled down on his craft, working closely with a goalkeeper coach to refine the details. That extra effort shows in his positioning, handling, and decision-making under pressure.

Wolves still have problems, especially in attack. But at the back, Johnstone is a major reason things look steadier.

He has helped bank precious points, even if his excellence has not counted for more yet.

From afterthought to first choice, his renaissance is one of the season's most welcome surprises at Molineux. Let's hope he keeps this form.

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

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Former Wolves winger Matt Jarvis believes Vitor Pereira's desperation to turn positive displays into points is understandable and says both the manager and his players are feeling the weight of being without a Premier League victory this season.

Wolves are bottom of the table with just two points from their opening seven games.

They are unbeaten in their past two league outings, although they led both matches before conceding late equalisers against Tottenham and Brighton.

"He [Pereira] is just desperate to get his team a win, he really is," Jarvis told BBC Radio WM. "He's missed out on a few opportunities where late goals have come in, and he's just desperate. He's used a tactic where he's kept the team as it was and conceded goals.

"Now, he's changed it by trying to go a bit more defensive, and maybe that will have a bit more stability at the back and stop the threat. To keep it tight and keep teams away from your goal and get shots off is a difficult task in itself.

"He's just trying to get it over the line and get that first win, and it's weighing heavily on everyone, including the manager, but you can see it from the players' point of view as well that they are distraught and disappointed.

"You can definitely draw positives - confidence in our unbeaten run, performances have improved - your focus is always on looking at these two games coming up [against Sunderland and Burnley]. They are huge. These are must-win games."

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In the third and final part of our Q&A with BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor, we discuss Wolves' use of income and Pereira's future.

Hugh asked: Given the position and dire situation Wolves are in, do they stay with the current coach if they lose to Sunderland and Burnley? Or do they admit that Championship football is their destination come the end of the season?

Mike answered: I'm quite sure Wolves have no wish to lose Vitor Pereira, especially so soon after signing him to a new contract and adding to his staff. I'm also quite sure that if they were to lose those two games, the atmosphere around the club - among the fans, certainly - will have worsened considerably.

My BBC colleague Nick Mashiter wrote on this page earlier this week that "Pereira can see the team progressing - adding to the internal belief he will turn it around". There is some evidence for that on the field, and it is fair to point out that they were not far from winning against both Tottenham and Brighton.

But they will need to win at least one of those two upcoming games against newly promoted clubs to avoid a sense of panic - and that is dangerous for any coach. If it comes to that, the length of his contract, or how recently it was signed, may not be a factor. Wolves found themselves in exactly that position with Gary O'Neil last season.

I am sure the last thing Wolves want to do is change the coach again. It would be sad if that point is reached, given that Pereira made such an impression on everyone around the club - and did a fine job - last term. But as we have seen many times at clubs all over, the only way to ultimately avoid that choice is to win games.

When the heat is on, and the demand for something to change is intense, the manager's position is always the one with the lowest melting point.

Glyn asked: How is it that a club like Bournemouth, with lesser gate income than Wolves, can attract the players they do and be as successful at it? We are surely a richer club, but do not seem to be making the best of what we have.

Mike answered: The last part of the question is the point. I would also note that gate income, while useful, is no longer the most significant component of a club's income.

A quick glance at Bournemouth's most recent accounts shows "match and season ticket income" was £6.5m out of a total income of £161m, while for Wolves, "gate receipts" made up £16m of a total £178m.

Like Wolves, Bournemouth have had significant financial backing over the period since their current owners took charge. But I think we have to attribute their relative progress in recent times to making better decisions with that money.

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In the second part of our Q&A with BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor, we focus on the future of Jorgen Strand Larsen and who the leaders are at Molineux?

Jackson asked: Do we intend on hanging on to Jorgen Strand Larsen or will he be sold?

Mike answered: I'm sure plan A is to keep Strand Larsen around for the long term, but these things inevitably depend on events. By setting him up with a longer contract after rejecting Newcastle's advances, Wolves not only made it worth his while staying, but protected his value as an asset going forward.

But it is simply a fact of modern football life that if the striker performs as well this season as he did last, there will be interest from clubs prepared to pay. When that occurs, Wolves will again have to base their decision on the facts that present themselves at the time.

Taking the case of last summer, if the offer from Newcastle had arrived in June, and/or Wolves had two or three alternatives to Strand Larsen already on their books, the circumstances would have felt entirely different.

The attitude of the player is also undoubtedly important, and Strand Larsen's behaviour was described throughout as impeccably professional.

I sense no wish from Wolves to sell, but it would be unrealistic to rule out such a situation occurring at some stage during his contract term.

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Richard asked: Do you think Wolves have a real natural leader on the field - like a Conor Coady - with obvious grit, determination and passion that team-mates will follow to the ends of the Earth?

Mike answered: This is an interesting one.

Wolves do have players who show all the personal qualities you mention - Joao Gomes perhaps the most demonstrative example - and my view is that, whatever the team's other failings, it is not short of hard workers.

It is also possible to lead by example, without being quite as vocal as Coady was, but his qualities as a leader were not just defined by the volume of his voice. There was something about his manner that marked him out as a leader long before he was given the armband.

Vitor Pereira named a leadership group - Gomes, Toti, Matt Doherty and Jose Sa - before this season began. I am sure they have the respect of their colleagues, although probably only Gomes is currently assured of a regular starting place.

I would agree with you though, that none of them is making themselves obvious as a leader on the field like Coady did - or even other recent captains like Danny Batth or Max Kilman, who generated the same effect without necessarily saying so much.

From a distance, Ladislav Krejci seems to be an organiser as well as a fine player, so perhaps he will become that leader in time.

Come back to this page later on Thursday for the final instalment of the Q&A, which focuses on Pereira's future and how well Wolves spend their money.

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In the first part of our special Q&A with BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor, we look at Wolves boss Vitor Pereira's tactics and the impact of new coaches.

Philip asked: Do you think Pereira got it wrong by making too many defensive substitutions against Brighton? For me, he put them under too much unnecessary pressure - I think he got it wrong.

Mike answered: You're expressing the majority view - and not just in hindsight, as there was an audible impatience inside Molineux every time Wolves were cautious. I do agree with you, although I can appreciate how those decisions might have been reached. It seemed to be a simple case of human nature overriding the facts on the ground.

Taking Sunday's game in isolation, Wolves were playing quite steadily at 1-0 without being especially creative, save for one huge chance missed by Jhon Arias. Had this been the first game of the season, with clearer minds, perhaps it would have been easier to leave things alone. But the length of time without a Premier League win inevitably generates tension - doubled by the memory of what happened a week earlier at Tottenham.

Pereira said after the Spurs game that he felt the team had "more control" when he added a third centre-back. This time, it just created a sense of trying to inch across a ledge to claim three points, rather than striding confidently towards their due reward. The team seemed to be concentrating so hard on avoiding risk that they lost their balance. It was a very hard way to learn.

John asked: Last year, Pereira had such clarity over the structure of the team and determination that the side should play with personality. Has he confused his own mind this season or has one of the newly appointed assistants scrambled his thinking?

Mike answered: You make a good observation but I doubt that the added staff in the summer have affected things negatively - not least because they have all worked with Pereira before.

I wonder if the difference is simply that last season the task was clearly set out, with the squad - apart from a couple of new arrivals in January - already in place. By organising and motivating the team, he lifted them out of trouble.

This season, in trying to develop, there have been a lot more moving parts. Pereira said recently he was aiming for a team that could switch between systems as the situation demanded. That would be positive, but will also require clear thinking in games to choose the right one.

Come back to this page on Thursday to find more of Mike's answers to your Wolves questions

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Wolves U21 fought back to defeat Wigan Athletic with Mateus Mane's successful late penalty giving them a 2-1 win. The visitors recovered after Wigan's Maleace Asamoah cancelled out Thomas Edozie's early goal as Mane's late spot-kick sealed victory at the Brick Community Stadium.

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Wolves defender Matt Doherty is recovering after undergoing successful surgery on his wrist last week. The Republic of Ireland international damaged his scaphoid - a small bone in the wrist - against Bournemouth on 23 August and had been playing with a protective splint in recent weeks before the operation.

The 33-year-old missed Sunday's draw with Brighton and has withdrawn from international duty with Republic of Ireland as he continues his recovery.

Wolves' director of high performance Phil Hayward explained that surgery was necessary due to the nature of the injury.

"Matt had an injury to his scaphoid after falling awkwardly during a tackle," Hayward said. "It's a bone known not to repair particularly well without intervention, so it was a case of finding the right opportunity to do the surgery within a six-week period.

"We're towards the back end of that six-week period now from the initial injury, so we decided to go ahead with the surgery at this point.

"He should be absolutely fine. The success rate of these surgeries is very, very high, and he should be back training pretty quickly. We can get him going fairly soon with non-contact training and doing things on the grass which don't involve a risk of him falling to maintain his fitness levels while the bone heals.

"Then as soon as he's ready to go back into competition again and take full contact, he should be good to go and back at the level of fitness that he was at when he when he came out of the team."

Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

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Wolves' plan unravelled at Molineux, as a bold start gave way to a cautious retreat and another lead slipped. Vitor Pereira set up with a back four and, for an hour, Wolves looked the sharper team. The opener came at 21 minutes, and from there, they should have gone for the kill.

Instead of pressing the advantage, Wolves surrendered it. Around the hour mark, Pereira replaced Hwang Hee-chan with Emmanuel Agbadou, shifting to a back three and signalling an intention to protect a fragile 1-0. My heart sank. The change echoed last week's approach against Spurs, with the same result.

With the extra centre-back on, Wolves lost their outlet, dropped deeper, and invited Brighton to play. Possession was surrendered, transitions dried up, and the pressure became relentless.

Game management matters late in matches, but half an hour is a long time to bunker in against opponents of Brighton's quality. With no pace left high to threaten in behind, the visitors committed bodies forward and recycled attacks. The equaliser felt inevitable.

There were positives. The work rate was high, several individual displays stood out, and the back four looked balanced while Wolves were proactive. But the team was let down by the mid-game switch. Bring on Fer Lopez or Rodrigo Gomes, and you at least force Brighton to respect the counter and think twice about committing to an all-out attack.

Wolves rode a similar plan to success in the cup against Everton, but in the Premier League they have been punished it twice in a row. Wolves need to be braver with a lead: hold territory, keep an outlet, and finish on the front foot.

The wait for a Premier League win goes on, the next two games against Sunderland and Burnley are pivotal for Wolves' season, and they must win both.

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

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Wolves have had a dismal start to the Premier League campaign - failing to win any of their seven opening games and picking up just two points out of a possible 21 points - so naturally there are questions around head coach Vitor Pereira and the club's ownership.

Many fans will be glad to see in this international break and later this week BBC Radio WM reporter Mike Taylor will be answering your questions.

So send them in below, what do you want to know about Wolves right now?

Ask your questions here

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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There is a sense at Wolves the corner is being turned, however slowly.

Conceding late equalisers in successive games to draw with Tottenham and Brighton is a frustration and keeps them winless in the Premier League.

But in the second half against Spurs and for spells against the Seagulls on Sunday, the battling team from the second half of last season emerged.

That needs to continue given Wolves remain bottom with a trip to Sunderland and the visit of Burnley following the international break.

Boss Vitor Pereira can see the team progressing - adding to the internal belief he will turn it around - and, but for two late goals, the narrative would be very different.

Pereira was sent off against Brighton and he knows it was out of character for him. His instinctive reaction to kick the ball into the dugout that houses broadcast media underlined the frustration of not having been awarded a free-kick.

Pereira's dismissal was just the second time in his career he was unable to be on the touchline, the first coming for the win at Ipswich last season after an accumulation of yellow cards.

Assistant Luis Miguel apologised on his behalf after the game - the rules banning Pereira from his post-match media duties - but there was some understanding for Pereira afterwards.

There is likely to be an apology from Pereira himself before the game against the Black Cats.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Wolves and Brighton.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans

Mel: Second week running the coaching staff have lost us points. This week against Brighton, Wolves went defensive with 35 minutes to go. The coaching staff lack confidence in their players, so the players lack confidence in themselves.

Doug: This is the first season where I am seriously concerned about our ability to survive relegation. Lack of urgency and attacking intent throughout, especially for the equaliser. No cohesion understandably with half a new team but surely passing the ball is a good idea instead of running into dead ends constantly. Make Jorgen Strand Larsen the captain as he shows the fight lacking in the rest of the team.

Mark: Much better performance. Two hard-fought draws against very good teams - hopefully onwards and upwards.

AJC: Wolves used to have an identity. I don't recognise the team anymore. We're just another Premier League team full of international players making good money without any connection to the club. We will go down. We must be the most defensive-minded, boring team in the league by a mile. Who goes to a back five with 30 minutes to go, sacrificing a striker in the process? Vitor Pereira has said how much working in the Premier LeagueL means to him. If he's not careful, he will blow his chance. The club is on a very slippery slope.

Brighton fans

Sarah: Predictably frustrating. Having beaten Manchester City and thrashed Chelsea, we just can't seem to beat the teams we should beat. Danny Welbeck plays better when he comes on later; he did so well last week; that was a very unfortunate header that gave Wolves their lead. I'd also give Jason Steele a chance now as he has played brilliantly in the cup games. We missed Joel Veltman, but Maxim De Cuyper seems promising. Overall, a scrappy draw; in the end, we were lucky to get that!

Phil: Wolves put in a very disciplined performance while Brighton had no discipline. The usual lack of ball control, and hence ball possession - except in the first 20 minutes, when Brighton had plenty of opportunities, but failed to create actual chances. The coaching team must take responsibility, not the players.

Lyn: Been feeling for a long time that the points we manage to steal are based on individual talent. Hard to get behind Fabian Hurzeler when I can't see how we plan to attack the opposition or how to manage pressure. I wish he would play the players in their natural positions and start with two actual full-backs. Lewis Dunk needs to be dropped and I would be giving our Greek strikers as many minutes as possible as Georginio Rutter has started the season poorly and we can't rely on Welbeck.

Joe: Lots of huff and puff with precious little to show for it. Aside from versus 10 men or League One opposition this seems to be the Brighton of here and now. The once edge-of-the-seat pizazz from a couple of seasons ago well and truly a thing of the past.

Pundits Joe Hart and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's five Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley

• Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Newcastle 2-0 Nottingham Forest

• Wolves 1-1 Brighton

• Brentford 0-1 Man City

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Wolves assistant manager Luis Miguel apologised on Vitor Pereira's behalf after the manager's red card against Brighton.

Pereira was dismissed in the first half of the 1-1 draw with the Seagulls after kicking a ball into the dugout housing broadcasters.

It came after the head coach was left furious when Wolves were not awarded a free -kick and he immediately apologised to those in the dugout.

Referee Jarred Gillett was left with little option but to dismiss the Portuguese, which came seconds before Wolves' opener.

"The ball was near him and he kicked the ball, I want to apologise for Vitor," said Miguel.

"It is not like his character to do that. It was one second of frustration. These things happen when we are under pressure."

Jan Paul van Hecke's header denied Wolves their first Premier League win of the season after Bart Verbruggen's own goal, the second straight game in which Pereira's side have conceded late to miss out on victory.

Joao Palhinha's injury-time leveller ensured a 1-1 draw at Tottenham last week and another point on Sunday was not enough to lift them off the bottom of the Premier League.

"We won in the cup, now two draws, in the Premier League is one point, three points, one point, three points, three points, three points - that's what we want," said Miguel, with Wolves unbeaten in three games having beaten Everton in the Carabao Cup last month.

"It's not easy but we keep going like this and trying to get a clean sheet. We're working very hard in our defensive position to improve the players on that side, because if we are secure there, we will score goals for sure."

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Wolves' first two games after the international break - at Sunderland and then home to Burnley - now appear absolutely vital.

It took until the 11th game of last season for Wolves to win in the Premier League, a start which ultimately cost Gary O'Neil his job.

The ink is only just dry on the three-year deal Pereira signed last month but it will not be worth much if Wolves cannot end their winless run.

O'Neil was handed a four-year deal on the eve of last season and was out of the door after four months - so if Pereira and Wolves do not want history repeating itself the victories must come quickly.

There is no desire for a change and Wolves feel Pereira's experience and quality will dig them out of this hole, but for that to happen they need to improve.

There were glimpses on Sunday they were returning to some form, but ultimately they were unable to create many chances.

The hosts had just nine touches in Brighton's box - compared to the Seagulls' 26 in Wolves' area - and made only 35 successful passes in the final third, compared to Brighton's 104.

Wolves are struggling as an attacking force and are also unable to keep clean sheets - a combination which will only lead one way.

Wolves assistant manager Luis Miguel, speaking to Sky Sports after Vitor Pereira was sent off:

"First of all I want to speak about what happened with Vitor. I want to apologise because what Vitor did was a frustration thing with what was happening with our team, not the other team or referee.

"The ball was there, he kicked the ball, sometimes you kick a bottle of water or something. We lost our minds. I'm sorry, and Vitor will apologise in his next press conference."

On the result: "About the game - it's frustrating, last week against Spurs was the same. Last six minutes conceding a goal, but we keep on. In the end we will see if it is one point gained or two lost.

"Brighton have a very good team, good position in the Premier League, so we know it's difficult to play against them. We had to defend, but had an opportunity to score a second and finish the game but we didn't do it.

"What I promise to our supporters that we will continue to work very hard, the players gave everything to try and win the game. Confidence will come with winning, we know we need three points as soon as possible."

Did you know?

• Wolves have already made 25 changes to their starting XI in the Premier League this season – through the first seven games of a single campaign, only two sides have ever made more (29 for Manchester United in 2001-02 and 26 for Man City in 2012-13).

Hear more from Luis on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Wolves' performance

What did you make of Brighton's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Aston Villa v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (after Singapore Grand Prix)

• Brentford v Man City (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Nottingham Forest" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wolves v Brighton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Wolves' Matt Doherty is out with a broken wrist meaning Jackson Tchatchoua replaces him at right back in the only change made by Vitor Pereira.

Jorgen Strand Larsen starts despite fitness doubts but captain Toti Gomes fails to shrug off illness and misses out.

Wolves XI: Johnstone, Tchatchoua, S Bueno, Krejci, H Bueno, Andre, J Gomes, Munetsi, Arias, Strand Larsen

Subs: Sa, Hoever, Mosquera, Agbadou, Wolfe, R Gomes, Bellegarde, Lopez, Arokodare

Danny Welbeck, Brajan Gruda and Mats Wieffer return for Brighton at Molineux.

Joel Veltman and Kaoru Mitoma are out injured while Georgino Rutter drops to the bench following last week's last 3-1 win at Chelsea.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Baleba, Ayari, Gruda, Gomez, Minteh, Welbeck

Subs: Steele, Tzimas, Rutter, Watson, Kostoulas, Milner, Bosgali, De Cuyper, Coppola

Wolves gave it a good go against Tottenham last week and almost took all three points - maybe the effect of a new contract is kicking in for Vitor Pereira?

Being serious, they have lost their first three home league games this season and, with Sunderland and Leeds both doing better than expected, they cannot afford to lose four on the trot, so they need something here.

Brighton made the most of their numerical advantage against Chelsea last week, but it is hard to know what to expect from them off the back of that game where they were up against 10 men.

I don't feel like I am doing very well with my Brighton predictions this season - in fact I've not got any of them right so far - so I am not too confident about calling this one.

This is probably going to end up as a draw but I am still being brave so I have picked another winner. I should probably get an award for being so bold with my predictions, even when I'm wrong.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Wolves, who are still vying for their first Premier League win, welcome bogey team Brighton to Molineux this weekend. BBC Sport discusses some of the key talking points before Sunday's match.

"The question is, did we win one point or lose two?" said Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira after their 1-1 draw at Tottenham last Saturday. "My answer is we lost two points because the team showed that we came here to win the game, especially in the second half."

Wolves were agonisingly close to securing maximum points for the first time this season before Spurs equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time and Pereira's side remain the only team in England's top five divisions without a league win.

But the performance was very encouraging and one player in gold certainly deserved to be on the winning side.

Winger Jhon Arias was the best player on the pitch last weekend and is starting to show why he was dubbed "The Colombian Pele" by supporters of his previous club Fluminense.

The 27-year-old, who joined for an initial £14.7m in the summer, created the most chances, had the most touches, completed the most passes and - to highlight his all-round performance - only his team-mate and defender Santiago Bueno attempted more tackles.

"I feel better with the team, with the ideas of the coach," said Arias this week. "It's a different league, so I'm still working to be better. My best version is coming."

Brighton have history on their side

Brighton will be on the road for a third successive match on Sunday and are seeking to register a hat-trick of away victories for the second time under head coach Fabian Hurzeler.

A 6-0 EFL Cup thrashing of Barnsley was followed by a 3-1 Premier League triumph at Stamford Bridge last weekend, and recent results suggests that another win is likely this weekend.

The south coast side have won four consecutive Premier League games at Wolves, a streak of away league wins which has only been bettered twice in the club's history. Brighton's best ever league run on the road also came at Molineux, with six victories between 1979 to 1991.

The Seagulls have struggled to keep shutouts in recent months and are one of just four teams this season without a top-flight clean sheet, along with Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and their opponents Wolves. In fact, they've managed just one in their last 18 Premier League games which came away at Wolves in May.

But despite history being on their side, Hurzeler is anticipating a tricky clash in the midlands.

"When you only look at the results, you might think it's easy but in every game I've seen so far from them [Wolves] they have had a chance to win it," said the 32-year-old German in his pre-match press conference. "They have played good football, have looked stable out of possession, and they don't give away a lot of chances."