Wolves made to fight and snarl to victory
Friday night sees the first fixture of this season's FA Cup fourth round take place, pitting two mid-table sides five tiers apart against each other. Sadly, Chorley will once again not be able to call upon their faithful fans in person to back them at Victory Park in person to take on Premier League visitors Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the hosts will find Nuno Espirito Santo's men in woeful form. How much that will affect this encounter is anyone's guess, but there is a glimmer of hope that the Magpies can do something in the game to remember long afterwards. Read our preview here:
Jamie the Wolfslayer?
38 year old Chorley manager Jamie Vermiglio has experienced plenty of highs and lows at the Lancashire outfit, and that is certainly no less true since assuming responsibility for the team in 2018. Back in the National League North after coming bottom of the Premier last season, he has guided his troops to a comfortable mid-table position. Much more remarkable of course is their run to the fourth round of the FA Cup, and he'll retain a similar shape and personnel to the ones who overcame Derby County's youthful XI in the previous round. That would be an understandable but ultimately bold move to make, setting out his stall with a single pivot in front of a four-man backline, and even more incredibly, two orthodox strikers in the guises of Harry Cardwell and Connor Hall. Their best tactical gambit will be to have numbers behind the ball in the middle to not allow their opponents to have total dominance in possession, and then to shift it wide in the transitional phase. Most of Wolves' pacier players are attack-minded, and that will still be true of the full-backs they select. That could mean space to work with to float crosses in, and if they can have at least two to aim for in the penalty area, they could well trouble the scoreboard.
Hoever up the flank
Leading the line for Nuno will be Italian forward Patrick Cutrone, who only recently came back from a year-long loan spell at Serie A giants Fiorentina. The former Milan hot prospect needs to show he can cut it in England, having had a distinctly mixed couple of years under his belt. Chorley are not exactly the average level of opposition he's likely to come up against now he's in the old gold again, but he should use that to his own personal advantage on Friday, especially considering how sorely Wolves are missing Raúl Jiménez. He ought to be supplied well from the wings, and the full-backs will have licence to penetrate the final third at will, so he should have a supporting cast to help him out, too. This will be no true than with Ki-Jana Hoever on the right; the Dutch youngster came through the ranks at Liverpool, and his versatility will be key for his relatively new side in the long-term, as well as the very short-term to secure passage through to the fifth round.
How's about that, Den?
Very few are expecting an almighty shock to occur, even with Wolves' recent slump. Nuno does however need a boost, and anything other than a routine, comfortable win up north could start some rumblings about his managerial position. Chorley aren't just going to turn up to be cannon fodder either, and the cup has proven to be a brilliant distraction from an otherwise mediocre campaign. bet365 are offering odds of 2.50 for both teams to score and for there to be over 2.5 goals.
