Wolves Target Back to Back Wins Against Portsmouth in Championship

Wolverhampton Wanderers welcomed Portsmouth to Molineux on Tuesday, October 20, for a rescheduled Championship fixture as manager César Peixoto sought consecutive victories and a return to the league's top five. Wolves entered the match with 17 points from 10 games, while Portsmouth occupied 13th place with 14 points.

According to the BBC's match coverage and Yahoo Sports' preview, Wolves arrived after a 2-1 victory over Burnley, secured by goals from Fer López and Tawanda Chirewa. Portsmouth had also built momentum, winning their previous two matches against Sheffield United and Norwich.

A victory would strengthen Wolves' position in the promotion race, with their game in hand offering an opportunity to climb into the top five. The fixture also marked the clubs' first meeting since May 2010, according to Yahoo Sports.

Peixoto indicated that player fitness and recovery would determine his selection after a demanding run of fixtures. Wolves had made six changes to their starting lineup for the Burnley match, demonstrating the manager's willingness to rotate his squad.

Peixoto explained that careful workload management was necessary because Wolves faced another three-match week while dealing with several injuries.

“We have to manage the situation. All the teams had three games last week, but not all of them have another three games this week. Because of that, we have to manage the players’ minutes carefully and avoid taking risks with injuries. We already have a lot of injuries, and we don’t want any more,” Peixoto said, according to the club's official website.

The manager said his assessment would include Portsmouth's playing style and the physical condition of his own squad before he settled on a starting eleven.

“I have to analyse Portsmouth and see how the players recover. Then we’ll try to build a strong team to win at home. That’s important.

Every game in the Championship is difficult, and we have to select the players who are in the best condition to fight for the three points. I think we’ll make changes, but first we have to see how the players feel physically,” Peixoto said.

Fer López remained a key attacking option for Wolves despite concerns about his workload. Yahoo Sports reported that the midfielder had scored five goals and supplied two assists in 10 appearances during the 2026/27 season.

Peixoto said López had not fully recovered his rhythm following international duty and had featured in all three of Wolves' recent matches. The manager nevertheless expressed confidence in the midfielder's continued development.

“He’s an important player. He’s still not at 100 per cent. You could see in the game that he had some difficulties with his rhythm.

We have to be careful because he’s played in all three games. Not 90 minutes in every game, but he’s played in all three. He hasn’t been at 100 per cent since coming back from the international break,” Peixoto said.

The manager also emphasized that López and the wider squad needed to maintain their standards as the season progressed.

“But he’s getting better, better and better. He still has to improve and get back to the level he showed before. I always want better and better from him, from me and from everybody,” Peixoto said.

Wolves faced significant selection challenges. Yahoo Sports reported that striker Raul Jimenez would undergo knee surgery following an MCL injury sustained against Everton, with the Mexican forward expected to remain unavailable until at least January. Rodrigo Gomes and Adam Armstrong were also ruled out through injury.

Portsmouth had their own fitness concerns, with manager John Mousinho indicating that Keshi Anderson could miss up to two months after being injured during the 3-2 victory over Sheffield United. Ebou Adams had emerged as an important contributor for Portsmouth, recording two goals and one assist while leading the team in tackles and defensive contributions, according to Yahoo Sports.

Despite their recent progress, Portsmouth faced a challenging historical record at Molineux. Yahoo Sports reported that the visitors had gone unbeaten in their previous six visits, with five of those matches ending in draws.

For the fixture, Wolves named José Sá in goal behind a defense featuring Hugo Bueno, L. Krejčí, N. Djiga and J.

Tchatchoua. André captained the side alongside M. Munetsi in midfield, while Mateus Mané, Fer López and R.

Saïd supported striker S. Neave.