Wolves v Brighton preview: Bruno Lage is expecting some surprises from Seagulls

The Seagulls arrive in the Black Country seeking revenge from their 1-0 loss in the reverse fixture in December, when a Romain Saiss strike secured Wolves all three points.

Tomorrow’s clash could be crucial for Wolves’ dwindling European hopes but head coach Lage is not underestimating what threat Brighton and Potter will pose.

“I remember that game (in December) was a hard one to play, a balanced game,” Lage said.

“They gave us a chance and we scored in a game that didn’t have too many chances. I remember that game gave us the confidence we needed for the games against Chelsea and Man United.

“I think we will have a great game because they are doing well and every time have a surprise.

“We watch a lot of games to try to understand what kind of surprises they will bring to us on Saturday.

“They want to play with the ball and to dominate the game. He’s (Potter) a great manager who is doing a fantastic job. All the credit to him and his players.

“I’ve played Brighton a lot and know how tough they are, when I was in the Championship, the Premier League and now here as a manager. It will be another exciting game and we want to be ready to play the way we want to play, score goals and win the game.”

It is expected, however, that Wolves will have to compete against Brighton without star midfielder Ruben Neves

The 25-year-old is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a medial collateral ligament injury to his right knee and returned to training this week just five weeks after his injury. However, he did not train on Thursday and Lage expects the Brighton clash will come too early for him.

“After six weeks (out) it will be hard to play 90 minutes as a midfielder and with the talent and quality he gives us,” Lage said.

“I don’t know, lets see what happens, but in this moment it’s hard for Ruben to return to the team.”

Max Kilman is expected to be out for the season with an ankle injury, while Daniel Podence is also missing with a persistent foot injury.

The winger has missed the last two games and is unlikely to be ready for tomorrow.

“With Daniel it’s in his foot, it comes and goes and he doesn’t feel comfortable to run or touch the ball,” Lage added.

“We need to wait. Sometimes it’s a injury that with time it recovers.”

Podence’s absence has coincided with Wolves’ struggles to find the back of the net and leaves Lage with a selection dilemma in the final third.

Fabio Silva has impressed of late but was the first player dragged off against Burnley, while Hwang Hee-chan and Francisco Trincao have struggled. Pedro Neto is also struggling for fitness which may leave Lage’s hands tied with his forward options.

Opposition view

Brighton boss Graham Potter insists his side will ‘fight for every single Premier League point’ as they target an end of season points record.

The Seagulls were on course to break the club’s Premier League points record before they threw away a 2-0 lead over Southampton on Sunday to draw 2-2.

Brighton – whose current tally of 41 is the same as they managed in their previous two seasons – require a single point from their remaining four fixtures to make a small piece of history, while they also retain hope of a maiden top-half finish.

This week marks 25 years since the Seagulls’ last match at the Goldstone Ground when the club were on the verge of relegation from the fourth tier.

They beat Doncaster 1-0 that day before scraping survival a week later with a 1-1 draw which sent down opponents Hereford. Head coach Potter admits Tuesday’s anniversary puts Brighton’s current position into perspective.

“We’re aware of how far we’ve come and I remember there must have been bad times because I played against Brighton, so you must have been bad,” he said.

“We’re aware of (chairman) Tony Bloom’s influence really and how much he’s done and helped us.

“That’s why we’re appreciative and fight for every single Premier League point because we know how quickly it can turn the other way.

“You always want to get better and want to do more and we’ve got four games to try and get more points.”

Starting away to Wolves tomorrow, Brighton will finish their season with games at home to Manchester United, away at Leeds and at home to West Ham as they target a new points record.