Wolves Preview: Avoid The Melodramatics At Molineux

On the eve of the 53rd anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, Manchester United treks to the Molineux Stadium to battle on Wolverhampton Wanderers in a very tense Barclays Premier League match.

Park Rescued United The Last Time

The Reds already donned the black arm bands in remembrance of the fallen heroes in United's very convincing 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, but in that same group of fixtures, Wolves were not as fortunate as they lost 1-0 on defensive miscue against Bolton Wanderers.

If the Reds happen to avoid defeat against Wolves, they will eclipse the club's best-ever unbeaten streak of 29 games, which happened in the 1998/99, and every United supporter knows what happened in that season.

As United have found out already twice this season, and once last season, Wolves is definitely a formidable opponent, and the visit the Midlands will definitely not be a walk in the park,

Each of the last three matches have been decided by the odd goal, but the dramatic finish in the one was the perfect way to kick off the celebrations of Sir Alex Ferguson's 24th year in charge of Manchester United.

Previously
Right on cue, Ji-Sung Park popped up to score goals in both first and second half injury time to give United a critical 2-1 win over Wolves.

Sir Alex did not have a full squad to select from as United was ravaged thin by a virus, which allowed Owen Hargreaves to make his first start for the club in over two years, but barely lasted four minutes after he suffered another injury.

In fairness, United's play reflected their illness that prevented some of the first-choice from participating, and Wolverhampton were fully deserving of their equalizer.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake became the first of three former United youngster to score against them when he slotted home from close range - just two minutes after coming as a second half substitute.

However, Park, who is on the verge of coming back from international duty, saved United's season by slipping home to break Wolverhampton's hearts.

About
Following their recent very tough-to-swallow loss at the Reebok, Wolves have dipped to the foot of the table, so the hosts will play the role of wounded animal against United.

Since Wolverhampton did United a favor by beating Chelsea 1-0 at home, they have lost three Premier League matches on the bounce, which has seen them extend their amount of losses to league-leading 15.

Although they lost their last match at the Molineux, Wolves have a decent record at home for a club fighting for their Premier League life by winning five of their 12 games.

Defensively, Wolverhampton is fifth from bottom with 42 goals conceded, but only 18 of them have come at home, so United will need to be precise with their shooting.

Wolves major problem, which has been plaguing them since they earned promotion prior to the 2009/10 season has been their inability to score goals.

So far this season, the Gold & Black have only scored 24 goals, 15 at the Molineux and none in their last two games, still 30 short of United's league-leading total.

Who
Looking to improve his side so they prolong their Premier League life, Mick McCarthy added three players in the over-priced January transfer window bringing in Adriano Basso (unattached), Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham), and Adam Hammill (Barnsley).

Ebanks-Blake is Wolves joint leading goal scorer with Steven Fletcher with four goals apiece, but Kevin Doyle is still McCarthy's main front man.

When these teams played two matches in a space of 11 days, Matthew Jarvis was one of the most influential players on the field, so Patrice Evra, and whomever plays at right-back will have to know where he is at all times.

Because so many former academy players have scored goals against United this season, David Jones, who was a former Reserve team captain, is another Wolves' player that will need to be watched - especially with his deadly left foot.

News
To validate that Sir Alex was right to play him over Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney registered his first two-goal game of the season, which doubled his Premier League total as well.

Even though the United manager said he was cleared by the doctors, Rafael sat out the match with Villa as a precautionary measure, but he should reclaim his spot against Wolves.

It will be interesting to see who Ferguson will deploy in the center of the midfield, but it very well could be the type of match for Paul Scholes to score another winner - just like he did last season.

Manchester United has never had an easy game at the Molineux, and Saturday's match should not be any different, but the Reds have enough quality to get all three points against Wolverhampton.

Treatment
Out: A. Valencia (leg), O. Hargreaves (hamstring), Rafael (concussion)

Projected
E. van der Sar; Rafael, R. Ferdinand, N. Vidic, P. Evra; Nani, D. Fletcher, M. Carrick, R. Giggs; W. Rooney, D. Berbatov

Prediction
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Manchester United 2