Wolverhampton vs Crusaders Predictions

It’s been a long wait for Wolves’ fans, many of whom weren’t born when the club last played on the continent, to see their side play in Europe. 1981 was the last time that the Staffordshire club travelled to foreign shores for a competitive fixture, but the wait is now over. Ahead of their trip to Northern Ireland, Wolves will be looking to secure a lead.

As a club, Wolves have no recent European experience to speak of, but they’ve cleverly built a team that has within it plenty of continental pedigree. The likes of Rui Patricio, Jonny Otto, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker, all of whom are first time regulars, have made numerous appearances in either the Champions League or Europa League (or both), so Thursday’s hosts certainly aren’t short on experience.

In contrast, Crusaders’ players, even if they have been involved in qualifying campaigns, have no experience of playing in either of Europe’s club competitions, so they’re automatically at a disadvantage there. They will be hoping to use the positive experience of winning both home and away in the last round as a platform from which to build, though their experience against opposition from the Faroe Islands isn’t likely to help them against Premier League opponents.

From a betting point of view, this is certainly not a fixture to get heavily involved in. A big gap in quality should be evident from pretty much the word go; Wolves have the quality to get the job done and are unlikely to fall short, though a bet on the hosts to simply emerge victorious offers punters no value.

Those who are looking to invest a few pennies can opt for ‘Wolves to Win & Both Teams to Score’. For all they should make light work of outclassing the visitors, this will be Wolves’ first competitive match of the season, so it’s not ridiculous to envisage them being slightly off the pace defensively. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that Nuno Espírito Santo’s men were caught out at the back against weaker opposition. League One’s Shrewsbury Town notched in defeat away at Molineux last season in the FA Cup.

Add in the fact that Crusaders have scored when being heavily beaten on the road in qualifying in recent years, notching against the likes of Norwegian giants Rosenborg, and a small play on the hosts to win without keeping a clean sheet stands out as the most viable option at the prices.