Gary O'Neil admitted that Wolves may be second favourite in every game, but he is hoping they can flip the script against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
Wolves have endured a difficult start to the season with one draw and three losses, including a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United last weekend after they failed to hold onto their lead.
They sit 18th in the Premier League table and go into the weekend having also been knocked out of the EFL Cup after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Brighton on Wednesday.
O'Neil did not shy away from their run of poor form and is hopeful they can start to get results that match their performances.
"Of course, should haves and could haves aren't going to help us, but moving forward you can still see that we're giving ourselves good opportunities to win football matches against tough teams," O'Neil told BBC Radio WM.
"Unfortunately, at this moment in time, we haven't managed to turn one [result] our way. The lads are still taking a lot of heart from [the Brighton game].
"So far, my guess would be that we have been second-favourite in every game. I think we will be for the next few as well so, we're having to fight against the odds at the minute.
"We are doing enough to get results, but we are falling a bit short."
Meanwhile, Villa have lost just one of their four Premier League outings so far and came from 2-0 down to beat Everton 3-2 in their last such match.
The Villans are returning to Premier League action on a high after opening their Champions League campaign with a dominant 3-0 victory over Young Boys.
Youri Tielemans was delighted with their showing in Europe but already has his focus back on the top-flight.
"For our first match, it was amazing," Tielemans said. "We can enjoy this and focus on the next game now.
"It was a good performance from myself, from the team, so we can move forward."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aston Villa – Jhon Duran
Jhon Duran has scored the winning goal in all three of Villa's Premier League victories this season, with all three coming as a substitute.
No player has scored four winning goals from the bench in a single campaign in Premier League history.
Wolves – Andre
Andre completed all of his 40 passes for Wolves against Newcastle United before being withdrawn (100%).
He also won five of his nine duels and won possession four times in his first start for Wolves.
MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN
Villa beat Wolves 2-0 in their last league meeting in March last season – only in their first two such encounters in 2003-04 have they won consecutive Premier League games against them.
The Villans have won three of their four Premier League games this season, losing the other against Arsenal. Only in 1998-99, 2009-10 and 2020-21 have they won as many as four of their first five in a single campaign in the competition.
However, between March and Christmas 2023, Villa conceded just eight goals in 16 Premier League home games (0.5 per game), and never more than once in a match in that time. Since then, they have conceded 26 goals in 12 games at Villa Park (2.2 per game), conceding at least twice in 10 of those (including each of the last four).
Meanwhile, Wolves have only lost one of their last five away league games against Aston Villa (D2 L2), though it was in this exact fixture last season (0-2).
Wolves have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games (D3 L10) and are winless in seven (D1 L6) since a 2-1 win over Luton in April. It is their longest run without a victory since a run of 12 between April and August 2022.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Aston Villa – 57.6%
Draw – 21.4%
Wolves – 21%
Taylor proud of 'gritty' Man City display in Hammarby victory
Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his Manchester City players handled the atmosphere against Hammarby to secure their passage into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Khadija Shaw opened the scoring in the 31st minute before Ellen Wangerheim restored parity shortly after the interval with a finish from close range.
But Shaw continued her fine start to the campaign, scoring the winner to become City's all-time top scorer in the competition, surpassing Georgia Stanway and Janine Beckie (both six).
The result saw City make it to the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2021, though the encounter was far from comfortable at the Tele2 Arena on Thursday.
Hammarby ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.15 compared to the visitors' 1.07, despite both sides having 14 shots throughout the match.
However, City maintained their unbeaten record against Swedish sides in the competitor (W6), and Taylor was proud of his side's "gritty" display in Stockholm.
“I’m really pleased. It was about qualification for us tonight," Taylor said.
"There were a couple of ways we could do it. Obviously, we knew a point was enough, but I don’t think the players were thinking that way.
“It was a really gritty performance on a really difficult on this pitch. It probably doesn’t look like that for the viewers at home watching it.
"But it was a really lively surface and we worked so hard.
“I felt there were some areas we could control the play better. I have to give credit to Hammarby, they were really aggressive.
"The referee was on our side a little bit in the first half and maybe not in the second.
“I’m really pleased and proud of the players, they really dug in tonight. You come away from a hostile environment with a win.”
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Longstaff keen to repay Howe's faith for Newcastle
Sean Longstaff says Eddie Howe's trust is allowing him to play his best football as Newcastle United go in search of a third straight Premier League win against West Ham on Monday.
After a difficult period, Newcastle bounced back by beating Arsenal (1-0) and Nottingham Forest (3-1) to enter the international break eighth in the table, one point adrift of third-placed Chelsea.
Longstaff returned to Newcastle's starting lineup for those matches after temporarily losing his place in their midfield, with Joelinton being pushed into the frontline.
"The midfield group is really strong," Longstaff told BBC Radio Newcastle. "When you look around it's all internationals. It's just about trying to bring my strengths to the team.
"I know the manager trusts me which is the biggest thing. No matter what anyone ever says, the fact he trusts me gives me the most confidence."
Longstaff then continued: "The season we qualified for the Champions League, I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.
"Then, last year there was games every three days and with lads being injured, I think the burden of trying to win every game can mean the enjoyment leaves a little bit. I'm just trying to enjoy the games as much as I can and hopefully being a bit freer will help."
Opponents West Ham, meanwhile, are just five points clear of the relegation zone after signing off for the international break with a goalless draw against Everton, a result that followed on from a crushing 3-0 defeat at Forest.
The Hammers' underwhelming start to the campaign has seen Julen Lopetegui's position questioned mere months after he took the reins, and he is demanding a complete performance next time out.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the Everton game, Lopetegui said: "We had more chances than them. In the second half, we had more clear chances to win the game.
"The first half was a gift for them. We lost 45 minutes. In the second half we did better, we were aggressive and had chances to win.
"The matches aren't about 45 minutes. They are 90 minutes and stoppage time. That's why I'm not happy, for sure. I think we can, and have to, do better."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle United – Harvey Barnes
Only against Aston Villa (nine) has Barnes been directly involved in more Premier League goals than he has against West Ham (eight – six goals, two assists).
He has either scored or assisted in each of his last four against the Hammers (four goals, one assist), finding the net in each of the last three.
West Ham – Michail Antonio
Only Wolves frontman Jorgen Strand Larsen (16) has made more hold-ups while retaining possession in the Premier League this season than West Ham striker Antonio (15).
Antonio is retaining possession with 71% of his hold-ups in the competition this term (15/21), the highest ratio of any player to attempt 10 or more. Lopetegui's side are likely to spend plenty of time under pressure on Monday, but he could provide them with an outlet.
MATCH PREDICTION – NEWCASTLE UNITED WIN
Newcastle have won their last two Premier League games and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since September 2023 – this is the sixth occasion since then that they have won twice in a row in the league.
They have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League games against West Ham (five wins, four draws) and are unbeaten in all five against the Hammers under Howe (two wins, three draws). They triumphed 4-3 when the sides last met at St James' Park in March.
West Ham, meanwhile, have kept just two clean sheets in their last 28 Premier League away games, conceding 66 goals (2.4 per game).
Indeed, in 2024, they have conceded more away goals in the top-flight (35) than any side.
Lopetegui's men have also failed to score in their last two league games, as many as in their previous 14 beforehand. Only five teams have a worse difference between their expected goals (xG) and expected goals against (xGA) figures than West Ham (-2.97) this term.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle United – 58.9%
West Ham – 19.7%
Draw – 21.4%
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