- When: 3:00PM, Saturday, August 5th, 2017
- English Championship
- Where: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England
The English Championship season gets under way this weekend and two of the favourites for this year’s title are set to face each other as Wolverhampton Wanderers host Middlesbrough at Molineux Stadium.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
It has been an exciting summer for fans of Wolves, with the club spending heavily on new recruits including the £15m capture of Reuben Neves from Porto. The transfer represents a huge coup for the club, as they have managed to bring in a player who was playing in the Champions League last season. Further to the signing of Neves, they have also brought in his former Porto teammate Willy Bolly on a season long loan along with Diogo Jota from Atletico Madrid. This summer has seen the owners lay down a statement and new boss Nuno Espírito Santo will be expected to deliver on the pitch.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough were relegated at the first time of asking from the Premier League last season as they found life tough in the countries top flight. A lack of goals was the real issue for Middlesbrough and this summer they have sought to address that by bringing in Ashley Fletcher and Britt Assombalonga for a combined total of over £20m. New manager Gary Monk will be hoping that those two can fire the goals to take the club back up to the pinnacle of English football at the first time of asking. Middlesbrough had a solid defence last season and have kept hold of key centre back Ben Gibson thus far, so you would expect the club to be tough to break down again.
Talking Points
- Battle of the big spenders; two of the leagues biggest spenders take each other on Saturday.
- Both of these sides are expected to achieve promotion this season, who can lay down an early marker?
- New manager bounce; two new managers take the hot seat for the first time this weekend. Who will come out on top?
Prediction & Betting Tip
I’m expecting an exciting game at Molineux Stadium on Saturday and I think we could be in for a score draw with both sides looking to impress their new managers.
Betting Tip: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2, Middlesbrough 2