Wolves return to action in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, as the Old Gold welcome Crystal Palace to Molineux, a game that will be crucial for one player in particular to perform in.
After losing 5-1 to Manchester City last time out in the Premier League, Gary O’Neil will be hoping his Wolves squad can return to winning ways on Saturday.
The Old Gold will hope to bid farewell to the 2023/24 season at Molineux on a high note, with the club’s final game of the campaign coming away from home against Liverpool.
With Crystal Palace arriving in the Midlands on Saturday afternoon, it’s poised to be an interesting contest between the two sides, with the Eagles hitting searing form.
Oliver Glasner’s Palace are undefeated in their previous six Premier League games and are set to battle Wolves high on confidence after beating Manchester United 4-0 on Monday night.
It will be another tough challenge for the Old Gold to overcome, and one that could see one player having the keys to make a difference for the hosts.
Boubacar Traore will be important for Wolves against Crystal Palace
Having started just six games in the Premier League all season, O’Neil has found success in Boubacar Traore in recent weeks as a result of the squad’s injury crisis.
The 22-year-old came into midfield to start against Arsenal and has since been rewarded with two further starts and a 26-minute cameo against Bournemouth to allow for rotation.
Traore’s start against the Gunners was the first time he had started a league game since December, however, his recent performances have earned him a spot in O’Neil’s favoured XI.
Against Crystal Palace, the defensive midfielder will have a crucial job on his hands to keep the Eagles’ midfield at bay, with the likes of Will Hughes and particularly, Adam Wharton showing strong form of late.
The 20-year-old has been a bright spark for Palace since arriving in January and will need extra attention on Saturday to limit the threat he can cause, with Traore being one figure capable of stopping him.
Recently described as a ‘really intelligent’ player by journalist Nathan Judah, based on how he times his tackles in the engine room, the Mali international will need to show such composure to dominate a midfield with the likes of Wharton involved.
Boubacar Traore offers Gary O’Neil something different
All season, O’Neil has favoured the midfield pivot of Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina for obvious reasons although, recently, it has come to attention that a midfield trio of the pair and Traore works well.
READ MORE: Gary O’Neil hails Boubacar Traore performance against Luton Town
The 22-year-old is an efficient ball-winner to sit in front of the back line, as well as being an innate reader of the game, allowing the likes of Gomes and Lemina to venture forward.
Having the duel winner in the squad against Palace could add another level of protection in midfield, in what is set to be a fascinating battle between the Wolves trio and the in-form Palace pairing of Wharton and Hughes.