No team in the top-flight has scored fewer than Wolves' 10 goals this season.

They have a striker in the building for January onwards in Matheus Cunha, but the lads out there right now need to start stepping up.

Image source, Getty Images

What a waste.

The free-kick is taken square to Joao Moutinho, who chips a ball that is meant to land near the penalty spot but drifts out of play.

An early free-kick for Wolves. A chance to deliver from the right.

Casemiro is in the wars early on. Nathan Collin charges forward but slightly overruns the ball, sticking out his boot to catch the Man Utd midfielder. No real damage done, though.

KevB: If someone is dropped for disciplinary reasons, how can they be on the bench? What sort of mixed message is that?

Away we go...

First, Molineux rises to applaud and pay tribute to the late, great Pele.

Man Utd's Antony lifts his shirt to show a personal message from him to his fellow Brazilian.

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Right, enough chat... let's get down to business.

The teams are out, flags are being waved, flame cannons are pumping. Time to get our first game of the day under way...

Handsome Nick: With Martinez unavailable ten Hag still won’t play Maguire and instead picks Luke Shaw at CB again. The disrespect is ridiculous. Shaw, who he doesn’t think is good enough at LB starts over Maguire at CB. Maguire deserves better. I hope Diego Costa runs riot today.

Manchester United have won four of their last seven Premier League away games (D1 L2), having lost seven in a row on the road before this.

They've scored in every game in this current run of seven, but the only time they scored more than twice saw them end up on the losing side (3-6 vs Manchester City in October).

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Wolves beat Everton 2-1 last time out in their first league game under Julen Lopetegui – he could become just the third manager to win his first two top-flight games in charge of Wolves, after Andy Beattie (November 1964) and Sammy Chung (August 1977).

Wolves have lost just one of their last nine league games played on New Year's Eve (W4 D4), though it was in their last such match back in 2016 (1-2 at home to QPR).

Manchester United haven't lost their final league game in any of the last 10 calendar years (W7 D3), since a 3-2 defeat to Blackburn in 2011. That loss was also their only Premier League defeat on New Year's Eve (W2 D1).

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Molineux

Manchester United are not saying precisely why Marcus Rashford has been left out of the starting line-up today but the mere fact he is on the bench offers a heavy hint the issue was not too great.

However, United manager Erik ten Hag has been keen to instil discipline into his players - and evidently, that means everyone.

Alejandro Garnacho didn't get a game in pre-season due to issues over his time-keeping.

Ten Hag has been pleased with the youngster's response.

Manchester United have won their last two Premier League away games against Wolves, winning in May and August 2021 – they've never won three consecutive league visits to Molineux before.

After netting nine goals in two meetings with Wolves in the 2011-12 Premier League campaign (4-1 at home, 5-0 away), Manchester United have netted just nine goals in their last 11 meetings with Wolves in all competitions.

Erik ten Hag says any new arrivals at Manchester United in January will have to fit the club's “sporting and financial criteria”.

The United boss was heavily linked with a move for Cody Gakpo before the Netherlands forward signed for Liverpool this week and has a gap in his strikeforce after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in November.

However, despite acknowledging the need for squad depth with his team competing on four fronts, Ten Hag will not rush into the transfer market.

“We are looking for the right player,” he said. “It has to match sporting criteria and definitely financial criteria.

“We want to carry on in all the leagues by winning games and cups so you need numbers and good players to cover that. You also need competition so that you can make technical choices.”

In their past two Premier League games, Ten Hag has brought on players who have ended up scoring in Alejandro Garnacho against Fulham and Fred against Nottingham Forest. He is hopeful that trend continues.

“We need impact from the bench,” he said. “You need people who can impact the game when you need a goal or when you are leading and want to go the counter attack and keep the win.”

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

There are still more than three days to the January transfer window opening, but already it is clear Manchester United's search for a striker is going to be one of the themes of the month.

In stepping back to allow Cody Gakpo to join Liverpool, United have underlined a delicate financial situation. They spent more than anticipated in the summer to allow Erik ten Hag to build the squad he wants.

But "spent" should actually read "committed". In their first quarter financial results, United outlined they currently owe £307m in various outstanding transfer payments, which is a Premier League record.

Evidently, paying even more for Gakpo was not a route the Glazer family wished to go down at a time when they are looking at "strategic" alternatives for the funding of the club.

So, a loan option is far more likely.

Hitting the criteria of being available, good enough and - let's face it - cheap, is not going to be easy at a time when so many clubs are looking for forwards.

Former United striker Memphis Depay, who is seemingly surplus to requirements at Barcelona, keeps being mentioned.

It is a delicate balance, not least because while - as Ten Hag says - United are staring at a packed fixture list, should they exit both domestic cups in January and fail to overcome Barcelona in the Europa League after that, they will only have league games to play for the final three months of the season.

For the latest round of Premier League predictions, Chris Sutton is up against Afrobeats star and Manchester United supporter Maulo.

Image source, BBC Sport

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

This is a tricky one to call because Wolves will be full of confidence after their last-gasp win over Everton in Julen Lopetegui's first game in charge.

They will have a real go at Manchester United but I think the progress Erik ten Hag's side have made means they will be able to deal with that.

United were dominant in their win over Nottingham Forest and we are starting to see them play the way Ten Hag wants them to.

It definitely helps that no-one is talking about Cristiano Ronaldo any more, and whether the team is better off with or without him.

He has gone and, although it's a bit early to say the club is more in harmony now, the team are certainly playing that way.

Maulo's prediction: I'd love to say 10-0 to United with Rashford scoring six but I'm going to try to be realistic here! We don't know how Wolves will approach this but they will be full of belief under Lopetegui so this is going to be difficult for us. I'm still going for a United win, though! 1-3

Find out how Sutton and Maulo think the rest of the games will go and cast your vote here

Julen Lopetegui is on the hunt for more January recruits to aid Wolves’ survival bid.

Wolves have already signed forward Matheus Cunha from Atletico Madrid, and he will be available for selection once the transfer window officially opens on Sunday.

Before that, Wolves host in-form Manchester United and Lopetegui says he is scouring all options to reinforce his squad.

“We have to work in two directions – the most important is to fight in each match to overcome the opponents and get three points,” he said. “After that, we have to look for the options to improve the squad in the positions we need.

“We are looking to see what players are here in the future but now the most important thing is to believe in the players who are here because they are going to help us win tomorrow.”

Victory at Everton on Boxing Day lifted Wolves to 18th and Lopetegui knows how critical home form will be as he prepares for his first Premier League game at Molineux.

“It’s very important to play at home and being strong is going to be key to our future,” he said. “We know tomorrow we are going to have a lot of difficulty but we have to believe, work very hard and try to take advantage of our strengths.”

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

Image source, BBC Sport

Better to win a poor game than lose a good one, especially when you’re at the bottom of the league, so nobody in gold was complaining about the standard of football at Goodison on Monday when Rayan Ait-Nouri popped up for the winning goal.

It really had been a messy match. Both teams were stacked with players who can perform to much higher standards, but as the game proceeded mostly to a murmured soundtrack, they seemed to share the obvious tension of the supporters.

Neither side seemed to feel the nerve-settling benefit of a goal in the first quarter. It still felt like a better point for Wolves than Everton, though, even before Ait-Nouri trebled it. If Julen Lopetegui steers Wolves to safe harbour this season, we shall probably say that the course was set there.

Much of the chat I have heard and read since Monday has concerned Lopetegui’s management of his team during the game, and his deployment of substitutes. Three combined to score the winning goal - always a handy trick for a new manager to get the supporters onside, that.

Lopetegui explained that the late introduction of Toti as a third central defender was in response to a concerning number of crosses entering Wolves’ penalty area. This has been widely acclaimed on social media as a brilliant move, and your correspondent is happy to admit that he did not say so in commentary at the time.

If it is true, as was suggested to me on Tuesday, that the plan was to introduce an extra defender to invite Everton to attack, therefore leaving room behind for Traore to gallop into, that was high-level thinking amid the tension of a high-stakes match.

"We have not done anything yet,” said Lopetegui, answering questions patiently in his media round afterwards. That’s quite true, in so far as Wolves remain in the relegation places - but they have done something not to be undervalued. Their supporters bounced out of Goodison Park, their optimism and excitement renewed.

Moreover, as the players tumbled in front of them, and the substitutes and staff on the other side did the same, it felt like the connection between the club and the fans - often strained of late - was being refreshed. The good news will have travelled.

Money has already been spent on Matheus Cunha, with more surely to follow soon. Some games, like Monday’s, are too scrambled to lend themselves well to much analysis from outside.

Wolves fans can let Lopetegui deal with all that, and will greet Manchester United at Molineux on Saturday with lighter hearts and louder voices.

Image source, Getty Images

• Wolves won their last Premier League meeting with Manchester United, 1-0 at Old Trafford in January.
• Manchester United have won their previous two Premier League away games against Wolves. They've never before won three consecutive league visits to Molineux.
• Joao Moutinho has scored 40% of his Premier League goals for Wolves against Manchester United (2/5).
• Manchester United haven't lost their final league game in any of the past 10 calendar years.