Preview: Wolves v Ajax
Wolves face Dutch giants Ajax in a friendly being played at Walsall's Banks's Stadium.
Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers looks ahead to the game.
Lowdown
After bringing the Uhrencup home with a deeply impressive 4-0 win over Swiss champions Young Boys, Wolves' pre-season campaign rolls on to, well, Walsall where four-time European champions Ajax lay in wait.
It's Wolves' third friendly of the summer and despite the prestigious opposition being lined up they have a 100 per cent record so far and purred at times during that Uhrencup-clinching victory on Saturday.
With their fitness at a good level following some back-breaking runs during the off-season and the current squad au fait with Nuno's 3-4-3 formation and tactics, Wolves have a solid foundation on which to build in the coming weeks before the big kick off against Everton on August 11.
The manner in which Ivan Cavaleiro, Helder Costa and Morgan Gibbs-White ran riot in Switzerland suggests Wolves are in fine fettle with the season just over three weeks away.
Team news
Diogo Jota (illness), Barry Douglas (muscle strain) and Oskar Buur Rasmussen (glute) missed the Young Boys victory and it remains to be seen if they're fit to face Ajax.
New signing Rui Patricio has been at Compton Park since Monday and could be handed his eagerly-anticipated first appearance in Wolves colours. Romain Saiss is back in training after his World Cup exertions, while new loan striker Raul Jimenez joined up with the club yesterday.
Ruben Vinagre is away with Portugal Under-19s at the European Championship so Ryan Giles, who impressed in Switzerland, could get some more game time at left wing back and will likely start if Douglas isn't fit.
Wolves are expected to field a full-strength side. They travel to Germany on Sunday for the H-Hotels Cup, which will see them play two 45 minute games in one day.
After that it's a trip to Stoke City next Wednesday, Derby County a week on Saturday and then a home clash against Villarreal on August 4.
Blinded by the new signing
Ajax have been busy in the transfer market, snapping up a couple of big Premier League names in former player Daley Blind (£18m) from Manchester United and Dusan Tadic (£10m) from Southampton.
Other stars include former Real Madrid and Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, still going ahead 34, plus Danish internationals Lasse Schöne and Kasper Dolberg.
Ajax are the most successful Dutch side in history but have only won four Eredivisie titles since 2004, with the most recent coming in 2014.
Four consecutive runners-up finishes have followed but boss Erik ten Hag will hope his new additions can see them reclaim top spot.
Pre-season hasn't been going too well in terms of results – in their last three games Ajax have lost to Danish side FCN, drawn with Steaua Bucharest and beaten 3-1 by Anderlecht.
With a Champions League qualifier against Sturm Graz looming next Wednesday, they'll be keen to impress here.
They face Wolves at 2pm and then Walsall at 7.45pm and it's expected they'll split their big names between the two matches.
Location
Walsall's Banks's Stadium is the rather odd location for a Wolves pre-season game.
Wolves last played at the Banks's in their 2013/14 League One title-winning campaign, beating the Saddlers 3-0.
How to keep track
The Express & Star will be carrying live tweets from Tim Spiers and Nathan Judah through the game, plus there'll be a detailed match report and the usual post-match reaction and analysis.
The game is available to watch on Wolves TV for £5.
Wolves supporters have been allocated Main Stand blocks J – P, while away fans will be housed in blocks Q & R, with tickets costing £6 for adults and £3 for concessions.
Kick off is 2pm
