Oddschecker football writer Ryan Elliott takes a look at the odds on Albion pinching a vital point at Wolves
The Result
How did it come to this? How on earth did it come to this?
Albion’s never-ending avalanche of nightmares doesn’t seem to be ending, and Tuesday’s dreadful defeat to Cardiff City has turned the possibility of relegation into a probability.
The Bluebirds are still two points behind the Seagulls with a vastly inferior goal difference, but with Fulham and Crystal Palace their two remaining beatable opponents, you would feel Albion require one more point at the very least to feel even remotely comfortable.
The way Albion have played in the last few weeks and months, it’s hard to envisage a goal, let alone a point, but Wolves’ record against the league’s lesser sides will offer some crumbs of comfort to Seagulls fans.
Nuno’s men have already lost to Southampton, Burnley, Huddersfield (twice), Cardiff and of course Albion this season, and their results against the Premier League’s strugglers have bizarrely been far inferior to those against the top six.
Unfortunately, 4/5 for a Wolves win does look like decent value. Albion’s five consecutive, scoreless defeats tells its own story, but the manner of said defeats—the fact that barely a shot on target was mustered amidst the 12 concessions – is hugely worrying.
It’s looking increasingly like Albion will have to rely on other sides to beat Cardiff rather than tunnel themselves out of danger, otherwise I fear it’s curtains for the Premier League dream.
Wolves struggle against the weaker sides in the division, but they won’t have come up against a team as confidence-drained as this Albion outfit right now; a home win feels like a grim inevitability.
https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/wolves-v-brighton/winner
The Banker
Though Albion’s defensive solidity has deserted them for practically the entirety of 2019, Wolves do struggle against compact, stubborn sides, and I can see them becoming frustrated for large periods of the game.
Just 36% of Wolves’ matches have seen over 2.5 goals this season, which is why I’m backing under 2.5 goals as my banker, best-priced at 8/13.
Albion’s inability to score makes this a banker worth backing.
https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/wolves-v-brighton/total-goals-over-under
The Longshot
It’s by no means a massive price, but my longshot is for a red card to be awarded in the match, best-priced at 17/4.
Anthony Knockaert’s moment of stupidity against Bournemouth highlighted the side’s frustration during that harrowing afternoon, and if things start going south at Molineux – with the threat of relegation looming large – similar head-loss-moments can be expected.
https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/wolves-v-brighton/sending-off-in-match
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