Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Leeds United

Premier League bottom-half strugglers Leeds United take a trip to Molineux Stadium to encounter early relegation candidates Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English League Cup third-round tie.

Wolverhampton found themselves on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline in a topsy-turvy home showdown against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, stretching their underwhelming winless run in domestic action to four matches (D1, L3). For years, Wolves’ stubborn backline has been the backbone of their decent Premier League journeys, yet Julen Lopetegui’s men have conceded 2+ goals in three of their last four league outings. The former Sevilla boss will have to tighten up his side’s defensive holes if he’s to drag them out of trouble, and flying out of the traps on his touchline debut on English soil could be a perfect confidence boost.

Meanwhile, visiting Leeds United pulled off a stunning second-half comeback, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 home victory over Bournemouth at the weekend to follow up a memorable 2-1 win at Liverpool. After going winless in eight consecutive Premier League matches (D2, L6), the ‘Whites’ have seemingly got back on track just in time to build on a 3-1 drubbing of Barnsley in the previous EFL Cup round. But it’s worth noting that before beating the odds at Anfield on their most recent domestic travel, Jesse Marsch’s men had been winless in seven consecutive away fixtures (D2, L5), scoring under 1.5 goals in five of them. Yet a 3-2 in their latest Premier League H2H at Molienux should inspire Leeds’ bid to stay on the upwards trajectory.