Manchester United kick off 2022 with a tricky matchup against Wolverhampton Wanderers and their rock-solid defense.
Wolves are closing in on a Premier League record for most consecutive games with one or no goals scored. Bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 3.30 for under 1.5 goals here and at 11.00 for a goalless game.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 2nd, 7:30 P.M. (EST)
Wolves’ seven-game streak of low-scoring outings includes three goalless draws, a couple of 1-0 wins, and 1-0 losses to Liverpool and Manchester City. Only a Divock Origi stoppage-time goal helped the Reds get three points against Wolves and City needed a penalty to get the job done. These results should give Bruno Lage’s men plenty of belief that they can be competitive at Old Trafford.
A win on Monday would be very special for the Wolves as they haven’t beaten United on the road since 1980. They have scored just three goals during a 10-game win-less stretch and there have also been only three draws during the run.
United were vulnerable at home throughout 2021 and one of their biggest goals for the new year should be a better home record. Along with a general improvement in consistency.
The team put in a great performance in Ralf Rangnick’s first game in charge against Crystal Palace, but old habits returned quickly and they were only just able to sneak past Norwich before drawing with Newcastle. A pretty convincing 3-1 win over Burnley followed but that was a very favorable three-game stretch against struggling teams and there are much tougher challenges coming up.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s status in the team was pushed into doubt when Rangnick arrived, but the Portugal ace has turned out to be one of the best performers under him.
Ronaldo scored the winner from the penalty spot against Norwich and he had a goal and an assist against Burnley. His comeback season at United has now featured 14 goals and three assists in 20 games.
Wolves have already shut down the likes of Mohamed Salah this season. Can they also find a way to keep Ronaldo quiet? It would be a big step towards getting a positive result on Monday.
Ronaldo and United certainly need to step up their creativity for the game. Wolves don’t concede a lot of chances and they will do everything possible to frustrate the hosts. Only the top three have allowed fewer shots this season and teams are averaging just 3.7 shots on target against the Wolves.
