Dugout Discussion

Traore and Moutinho drop to the bench as Gameweek 26 recommences at Molineux

After an interminable wait, Gameweek 26 gets back underway this evening at Molineux.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City, which is only the fourth match to be contested in this round of fixtures, kicks off at 20:00 GMT.

There is no Adama Traore (£5.8m) in the hosts’ starting XI, with the well-owned winger amongst the substitutes for only the second time in the last 23 Gameweeks.

Joao Moutinho (£5.4m) is also on the bench, which brings to an end his run of 21 Premier League starts in a row.

Pedro Neto (£5.0m) and Leander Dendoncker (£4.4m) are the men to come in for that aforementioned pair.

The Athletic’s Wolves correspondent, Tim Spiers, suggests the two unexpected benchings are fitness-related:

The taciturn Nuno Espirito Santo added ahead of kick-off:

[Traore’s shoulder] has not settled down but he’s an option. He is playing the game, also, he’s on the bench.

Normally [Moutinho is a starter] but we have other options and we decided this way.

With Wilfred Ndidi (£5.0m) still sidelined, Leicester are unchanged from their 2-2 draw with Chelsea at the beginning of the month.

Brendan Rodgers said of the Nigerian’s fitness:

It’s just too much of a risk for him, he still has that slight pain. But he’s got better as the week’s progressed and we’ll see how he is over the weekend.

Of those on show this evening, Jamie Vardy (£9.8m) is the most popular player in FPL terms – although his ownership is at its lowest since Gameweek 13.

The Leicester striker has only one attacking return to his name since Gameweek 18 and is goalless in almost two months.

Harvey Barnes (£6.0m) has registered three goals and an assist in his last three starts, with his FPL ownership quadrupling since Gameweek 23.

The reverse fixture of tonight’s game ended goalless back in August, with Ricardo Pereira (£6.3m) and Willy Boly (£4.7m) supplementing their clean sheets with maximum bonus points.

Boly has recorded shut-outs in four of his nine Premier League starts this season – Wolves have only one without him.


Wolves XI: Patrício, Coady, Boly, Saïss, Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Jonny, Jota, Neto, Jiménez.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel, Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Choudhury, Tielemans, Maddison, Perez, Vardy, Barnes.

670 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Yank Revolution
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Boly G WIPED OUT

  2. KGFC
    • 7 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Offside

  3. Forza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Willy getting some action on a Friday night out 😎

    1. Annie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Action denied

      1. Forza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Damn, this is too relatable 😥

      2. Firminooooo
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Story of my life.

    2. An Púca
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Willy guaranteed action on Valentines night

      1. squits
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        doubt he'll be able to get up again

      2. Forza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Cockblocked just like every other night though 😆

  4. Annie
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    No goal

  5. LewanGOALski
    • 12 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Oh looool

  6. Niho992
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    FFS lucky Soy owners

  7. el polako
    • 6 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    VAR kills football.

  8. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    VAR says Offside 😆 Incredible decision

    I'd be curious as a willy owner.

    1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Furious

    2. Sim Simma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      🙂

  9. Monya Meow Meow
    • 5 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    VAR strikes again

  10. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    4 years, 2 months ago

    Boly is being bought tonight

  11. Party time
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Var is my val

    • have you seen cyan
      • 4 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Noooooo

    • Saxe-Gotha
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Wow. Harsh.

    • lindeg
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      offside is offside

    • Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Phew. Don't want wolves win here :p

    • Magic Zico
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Unlucky Boly owners

    • Samwise the Brave
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Thank goodness. Rival has Boly I have Soy

    • Jindaljain
      • 9 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Raul

      1. Annie
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        ?

    • diesel001
      • 7 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Wolves complaining about the ball going back and being offside. But that is the rule.

    • TheDragon
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Willy chopped off?

    • LǝgleSs e|even
      • 8 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Pheww that was close with Boly!
      But getting him in nevertheless

    • squits
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      That is a joke. I own no one in this game, that is a ridiculous call. You cannot see it. Poor Boly owners.

      1. have you seen cyan
        • 4 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Haven’t even seen it but VAR hates me so no doubt a terrible VAR decision as usual

    • Green Arrow
      • 12 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Thats too damn tight

    • lindeg
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      if it wasnt called, people would have gone mental with lack of consistency

    • goriuanx
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      It's the correct decision.

      VAR works, the implementation of it needs work. Using hot-spot areas would solve offside issues.

      1. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
        • 13 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Whether it's right or wrong it's killing the game

        1. goriuanx
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          It needs to be quicker and clearer. Get refs microphoned, and live access to what's being said in Stockley Park

    • BobbyDoesNotLook
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Boly first on bench but possibly coming in with Traore etc on XI. Not sure how to feel about goal ruled off but happy as an owner for the threath.

    • Don Van Vliet
      • 10 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      That decision is absolute nonsense. What a complete farce VAR is.
      And, yes, I did bring Boly in this week.

      1. diesel001
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Looked offside to me once I saw the pictures (even without the lines).

      2. squits
        • 14 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        It's by a shoe lace. They need to stop making these calls. Clear and obvious? the line is too thick and the frame rate is too low to call that

        1. Don Van Vliet
          • 10 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Those lines are far too girthy to be effective markers.

      3. Salarrivederci
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Mate...

        Offside is offside. Those are the real easy VAR-decisions since we have the technology to know for sure.
        The problem is the subjective VAR-decisions or the lack of such. The penalty to Arsenal or those where it is truly hard to see how hard someone is pushed and so on.

    • Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Willy looks a bit deflated after that

      1. Forza
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 9 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Rock solid contact with the ball at the other end though, after a brief refractory period.

    • Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      That's miles off compared to Lundstrams toe haha 🙂

      1. diesel001
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Exactly. So officials are being consistent. People need to get used to this 'new normal'.

    • Brehmeren
      • 13 Years
      4 years, 2 months ago

      Didn't know that you could be offside on a backward pass!?

      1. lindeg
        • 5 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        now you know then

        1. Brehmeren
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          That is very true, lol.

      2. diesel001
        • 7 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Neither did the Wolves bench

      3. European Bob
        • 11 Years
        4 years, 2 months ago

        Me neither, is it a recent rule change? Often see two players against the keeper with one then squaring it, as long as the other players behind the assister, it's allowed

        1. lindeg
          • 5 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          Receiver was in offside position when pass was played, nothing new here

        2. Brehmeren
          • 13 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          The issue here, apparently, is that the receiver was in front of the ball when it was passed. Even though it was passed backwards, he was offside because of that. Guess it just happens so rarely.

        3. IRBOX ⚽
          • 7 Years
          4 years, 2 months ago

          That’s the key.. receiver is behind the ball in that scenario which is completely fine