Man Utd v Wolves | Match Preview, Odds To Bet On and Prediction
Manchester United welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford for their first Premier League game of the new campaign and are big favourites to pick up all three points on Monday night. United have enjoyed a good pre-season and want to pick up where they left off after sealing Champions League football for 2023/24.
Wolves could be in for a difficult season after offloading talented players without adequately replacing them, so bookmakers don’t fancy an upset in Manchester. The Old Gold had an okay campaign after being at risk of relegation early on but saw their manager leave on the eve of the new season due to frustration over a lack of investment.
Wolves lost Rúben Neves, Nathan Collins, Conor Coady, Raúl Jiménez, João Moutinho, Diego Costa and Adama Traoré this summer, only signing Matheus Cunha, Boubacar Traoré and Matt Doherty in their stead despite making £35m in profit, so they might struggle in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag has spent £165m on André Onana to replace David De Gea in goal, Mason Mount to replace Fred in midfield, and Rasmus Højlund to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Wout Weghorst. Jonny Evans was signed on a free transfer to bolster the defence amid uncertainty over Harry Maguire’s future, so United have made additions in every position.
The Red Devils finished third in the league last season and had the second-best home record with 15 wins and only one defeat from 19 games, so United are 8/25 with Bet UK To Win against Wolves. Man Utd and Wolves are 11/2 with Betway To Draw, but the hosts had the second-fewest amount of stalemates, so it’s hard to see anything other than a home win.
As for Wolves, the Old Gold stayed up in the top-flight and finished 13th, but a 41-point total isn’t impressive. Wolves are 21/2 with Bet Victor To Win against United, but it’s worth noting they lost 50% of their games (19) and were the lowest scorers in the division (31) last season.
United have the best defensive record in the league (10) at Old Trafford, averaging 0.5 goals conceded per home game. Wolves have the second-worst goalscoring tally on the road, averaging only 0.6 goals per away game, so Total Away Goals Under 1.5 is 1/6 with Boyle Sports. Man Utd To Win To Nil is 23/20 with Bet Victor.
Wolves will need to watch out for Marcus Rashford, as he was hard for sides to keep quiet last season. The 25-year-old scored 17 goals in 35 league games, so he’s 10/3 with Bet 365 to be First Goalscorer and 27/25 with Unibet to Score Anytime. New signing Hojlund and Anthony Martial won’t feature due to injury, so the burden may be on Jadon Sancho to contribute. The 23-year-old is 6/1 with Boyle Sports to be First Goalscorer and 41/20 with Bet UK to Score Anytime.
Wolves signed Matheus Cunha permanently over the summer and he’s likely to lead the line against Man Utd. Despite only scoring two goals in 17 games while on loan with the Old Gold last season, Cunha is 16/1 with Boyle Sports to be First Goalscorer and 6/1 with Unibet to Score Anytime.
Prediction: Man Utd 2-0 Wolves
