Wolves welcome Burnley to Molineux for an intriguing EFL Cup tie on Wednesday night.
Wolves vs Burnley top offer
Wolves vs Burnley odds
Find the latest match odds for Wolves vs Burnley. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
⚡Quick Wolves vs Burnley odds betting tips
Wolves vs Burnley predictions
Does the way a team ends one season bleed into the next campaign, or is the slate wiped clean over the summer?
It is a question that Wolverhampton Wanderers fans were mulling over ahead of the big kick-off in 2024/25. In their specific case, it looks like the break from May to August did Gary O’Neil’s team little good.
Wolves slid down the Premier League standings late last term. Five of their last six outings ended in defeat, while they collected just five points from the final 30 available.
O’Neil’s side have proved unable to arrest that slide at the beginning of the current campaign. Granted, the fixture computer did them no favours in the first two weeks of the season. But if a 2-0 away defeat by Arsenal was about par for the course, Sunday’s 6-2 shellacking at the hands of a Chelsea side surrounded in turmoil was more worrying.
The schedule will not ease up for a while. A trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend is kinder on paper than their first two assignments, but Wolves will then face Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Liverpool in successive weeks.
What about after the October international break? Just the small matter of a meeting with reigning champions and title favourites Manchester City.
All of which means O’Neil could really do with a win on Wednesday. Wolves have established themselves as a Premier League team in recent years, so survival is no longer a cause for celebration. Something that would really make the fans cheer is a deep run in either the EFL Cup or the FA Cup.
Wolves lost to Coventry City in the quarter-finals of the latter tournament last season. That defeat by Championship opposition stung and in effect left Wolves with nothing to play for.
The club has a poor record in the EFL Cup, having reached the quarter-finals just once since 1995/96. O’Neil will know that progress in the competition would solidify his position, but this looks like a potential banana skin.
1
Wolves vs Burnley betting tips
Burnley are on a high and Wolves have been struggling, so we could have an EFL Cup upset in store in this one.
Burnley to qualify – 2/1 (Betfred)
Burnley were out of their depth in the Premier League last season. They did not escape the bottom three for a single gameweek. Despite the odd flicker, relegation looked pretty much nailed-on throughout.
It was a missed opportunity for the Clarets, who spent plenty of money after promotion in a bid to be competitive. Curiously, Vincent Kompany’s efforts were rewarded with the Bayern Munich job.
Free Bet Offers
Get the best free bet offers all season
Scott Parker is his replacement at Turf Moor and Burnley fans like what they have seen so far. Burnley may have lost 1-0 to Sunderland last time out, but before that they pumped Luton Town 4-1 and Cardiff City 5-0.
The principal aim for the Clarets this term is promotion, but a positive result against Premier League opposition on Wednesday would boost confidence in the camp.
Burnley will give this a good go after defeat at the weekend. We like their chances of pulling off a surprise win, but make use of the ‘to qualify’ market in case their method of victory is a penalty shoot-out (there is no extra time at this stage of the EFL Cup).
⚽ Back Burnley to qualify at 2/1 with Betfred ⚽
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals – 13/10 (Betfred)
Burnley were shut down successfully by Sunderland at the weekend, but they showed in their two previous encounters that they know where the goal is.
Parker will encourage his team to continue playing on the front foot against Wolves, not least because their opponents look a little ropey at the back.
Having lost Max Kilman to West Ham United over the summer, Wolves are light at centre-half.
Craig Dawson, an experienced and rather underrated defender, could return here, but Burnley will still fancy their chances of causing their hosts problems.
Having said that, Wolves’ Premier League quality should aid their attacking efforts. Goals at both ends is the way to go.
⚽ Tip both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at with Betfred ⚽
Lyle Foster to score any time – 13/5 (Betfred)
Burnley have scored nine goals so far this season and Josh Brownhill is the only player with more than one to his name.
Lyle Foster is yet to get off the mark, though, and the striker will be keen to put that right as soon as possible.
It is difficult to know how strong a side Parker will name for this EFL Cup tie, particularly as promotion is by far and away the priority.
But given that Foster is still waiting to open his account in 2024/25, he will probably be given the nod.
The former Monaco frontman can repay his manager’s faith by finding the back of the net.
⚽ Go for Lyle Foster in the anytime scorer market at 13/5 with Betfred ⚽
📺 How to watch Wolves vs Burnley
- Location: Molineux Stadium, Wolvehampton, England.
- Date and time: Wednesday 28th August, 7.30pm.
- How to watch: Sky Sports+.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.