Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Luton Town
An all-club friendly less than a fortnight before both sides officially open their campaigns may seem unusual but there will be much to gauge from this meeting between Wolves and the newly promoted Hatters at Molineux.
For a start, after undertaking such a sterling job since arriving last November, how much further can Julen Lopetegui take the boys from the Black Country given he has to lower the club’s net spend.
And can Luton Town, back in the top flight for the first time in 31 years, really defy everyone, pundits, fans and the SBOTOP betting odds alike, to ensure their stay is not a brief one.
Talking Points
Lopetegu worked wonders at Wolves last term as he kept them up with plenty to spare, despite the side being in the ‘dreaded bottom at Christmas’ slot.
This summer, though, he has delivered some worrying admissions, including recently when he admitted player incomings and outgoings were out of his control, while also re-asserting he ‘needs more players’.
It comes amid financial turmoil at the Midlands club, with Wolves posting losses of approximately £46.1 million last year that have forced their owners, Fosun Sports Group, to seek new investment to help the side remain competitive in the Premier League.
The Spanish manager recently claimed the club needed to resolve its Financial Fair Play issues to remain competitive, with doubts arising over his tenure due to his disagreements over recruitment policy.
Key men have already departed, most notably Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins and Conor Coady since the start of the window. Meanwhile, Raul Jimenez also looks set to join Fulham.
After a 1-1 draw with Celtic at the weekend, the boss again revealed concerns about the size of his squad.
Wolves are currently eyeing-up a £2.5m move for West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell and have also been linked with Bristol City talent Alex Scott so it appears Lopetegui and his team are having to get creative with their signings in a bid to stay competitive in the Premier League.
That seems a shame given some of the Portuguese stars they had attracted in more recent times.
Getting creative is certainly an approach Luton will have to take.
They have just announced their sixth arrival of the summer, ironically from Wolves, in Ryan Giles, a player whose 11 assists while on loan helped Middlesbrough reach the play-offs last term.
The most eye-catching have been former Manchester United youngster Tahith Chong from Birmingham City and Mads Andersen from Barnsley.
Perhaps one of the most important pieces of news for the club is that defender Tom Lockyer has returned to action.
The Welsh international collapsed within the first 10 minutes of their Championship play-off final win at Wembley in May but, thankfully, Lockyer was able to make his comeback last week against Ipswich Town before completing the full friendly game at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
It is a real baptism of fire for Luton, both on the playing side and the fact they have had to postpone their first scheduled home league game, against fellow promoted club Burnley.
A £10 million upgrade of Kenilworth Road stadium is nearing completion, but the decision has been made as a precaution surrounding progress of construction work at the 10,356-capacity stadium — the smallest ground ever to host Premier League fixtures.
Both clubs can be proud of their achievements in recent seasons but it may be about to get a whole lot tougher. The friendly highlights they produce in midweek could tell us to what extent.
History
Ever since their first meeting in the FA Cup in 1932 – a third round tie which Wolves won 2-1 – these teams have been fairly evenly matched.
During the past 90 years, Wolves have tasted victory on 14 occasions, there have been 13 Luton successes and five draws.
They last met in the top flight in 1984 when Luton won 2-1 at Molyneux.
Their last league meeting came in the Championship in 2007 when goals from Gary Breen, Andy Keogh and Karl Henry sealed a 3-2 Wolves victory. Lewis Emanuel and Leon Barrett replied for the home side.
This friendly will actually be their first encounter for a decade.
On that occasion, in January 2013, Luton won a third round FA Cup tie at Kenilworth Road courtesy of a solitary goal from Alex Lawless.
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