Ryan Bennett: Wolves want to increase gap

That gap is a daunting one for the chasing pack. But far from concerning himself with being caught, Ryan Bennett just wants the lead to grow further.

After one defeat in 17 matches, confidence couldn’t be higher in the Wolves camp.

And after recovering from their ‘blip’ of a draw and a defeat in consecutive matches, they’re very much now back on track after three successive wins.

“We don’t want the gap to get any smaller – we only want it to get bigger,” Bennett said.

“The last few results have been really pleasing.

“We’ve done it all season – we’ve always bounced back. We knew after the Forest game it’d be important to do that.

“We have and we just need to continue that from now until the end of the season.

“We take every game as it comes and want to win it. That’s the aim we’ve got.”

While it would take four successive Wolves defeats for the chasing pack to even draw level on points with them, the pressure is still very much on the leaders, Bennett believes.

However, he says that pressure comes more from within.

“I think it comes from ourselves,” he said. “People don’t see what we do every day, the pressure on training and everything we’re doing.

“We’re used to it on a day-to-day routine now. The lads handle it.

“You don’t get away with coming in being half-hearted, it doesn’t work like that.

“Every game is massive. We know every win is massive now.

“At the minute Saturday is the most important one. We want the three points.

“I take every game as it comes. We know the position we’re in and where we want to be – it’s as simple as that.

“We know we have to be 100 per cent every game to win it.

“We’ve ground games out this season, we’ve played well more often than not, we know what we have to do and if we’re not there it’s not going to work.

“It’s the same dimension on the pitch, we’ll have our gameplan, we’ll put into place what we want to do and if we do that we’ll get the result.”

Nuno has named the same starting XI for three games in a row and there’s no reason to suggest he’ll change anything tomorrow.

Benik Afobe has looked sharp from the bench in his two substitute appearances since rejoining the club but the rejuvenated Helder Costa looks likely to keep his place in a Portuguese front three that has been potent of late.

Romain Saiss and Leo Bonatini are Nuno’s two injury doubts but neither is expected to be out of action for long and may even feature tomorrow.

That just leaves long-term absentee Phil Ofosu-Ayeh on the sidelines. Saiss and Ruben Neves are one booking away from a two-match ban.