Wolves vs Brighton predictions & FA Cup betting tips
Wolves vs Brighton betting tips
Wolves and Brighton will go head-to-head with a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals up for grabs on Wednesday night (7.45pm, BBC Red Button/BBC iPlayer).
We are getting towards the latter stages of the tournament and the winner of this tie will start to dream about going all the way.
Wolves lost 4-1 at home to Brighton in August but plenty has changed for both teams since then with the pair now separated by just one point in the Premier League table.
Football betting sites have trouble splitting the teams too, so which of Wolves or Brighton will come out on top under the lights at Molineux?
Who will advance to the last eight?
Manchester City and Liverpool are still in the competition and are naturally the leading contenders to lift the trophy in the FA Cup odds, but Wolves and Brighton will not fear any of the other remaining sides.
A win here and a kind draw for the quarter-finals would leave Wednesday’s victor within touching distance of Wembley.
Neither Wolves nor Brighton is troubled by the spectre of relegation, so they should both go for it on Wednesday. The Seagulls do have Europa League football to contend with, but for now Roberto De Zerbi will be fully focused on his side’s domestic commitments.
Given how close they are in the Premier League table, it is no surprise to see they are basically listed at the same odds for this game, making it tough to pick a winner on betting apps.
Home advantage could swing this one in Wolves’ favour, though. Gary O’Neil’s charges have won four of their last six at Molineux, including a 1-0 defeat of Sheffield United on Sunday.
Wolves tend to perform better against opponents that dominate the ball, which bodes well for this meeting with a Brighton side that sits third in the Premier League’s possession ranking. Whether or not they get the job done in 90 minutes, we fancy Wolves to advance.
Goals on cards in high-quality tussle
Brighton are not the type of team to play on the back foot. De Zerbi sets his side up to be proactive in every game, which often results in highly entertaining encounters.
Brighton rank third in the Premier League for average shots on target per game with 5.82 and fifth for shots per match with 14.96, according to Fbref.
That says everything about their attacking intent. They will not simply sit back and hope for the best at Molineux.
Wolves may be willing to cede possession in order to open up space behind Brighton, but that does not mean they will not commit bodies to attack. Since Boxing Day, only six top-flight sides have scored more goals than O’Neil’s side.
All things considered, this could be a relatively high-scoring affair between two teams that will be determined to seize this opportunity.
Hwang out to make mark after Asian Cup
Hwang Hee-chan did not score in either of his first two appearances for the Midlands outfit after the Asian Cup, but given his form this term it is only a matter of time before he finds the back of the net.
The South Korea international has had an excellent season so far. A return of 10 goals in the Premier League is bettered by only Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen.
Hwang has played in all three positions across the Wolves frontline. His versatility is one of his best attributes, but there is little reason to expect O’Neil to move Hwang away from the centre-forward berth he has occupied of late.
Brighton keep very few clean sheets, having conceded in 26 of their 29 domestic games in 2023/24. After looking at the goal scorer markets with betting sites, we like the value of a Hwang goal at Molineux.
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A London-based football specialist, Greg Lea has written for multiple top publications including The Guardian and ESPN with coverage of the Premier League, Champions League and World Cup. He contributes football betting tips to The Independent.
