Wolves coach Steve Davis has confirmed he will pick his strongest possible side to take on Leeds United in the Carabao Cup third round. Davis has been in charge at Molineux since the start of October and he’ll remain in the hot seat until the World Cup break, when former Spain and Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui will take over. As such, Davis will be selecting the team on Wednesday night when the Whites, who have won their last two, travel to the West Midlands with a spot in the fourth round on the line. Wolves have struggled of late, picking up just one win in their last eight in the Premier League and consequently, they are 19th in the table, above Nottingham Forest on goal difference. They host league leaders Arsenal on Saturday and Davis admits that game is in their thoughts. However, he’ll no doubt be keen to see his side use the cup clash as a way of bolstering confidence and he’s planning to name the best XI possible.
Steve Davis said: “Our approach is always the same. To get a good result and win the game, and the Carabao Cup will be no different. We’re trying to approach it in the right way, but we’ve also got to bear in mind that we’re coming off the back of Brighton at the weekend, and we’ve got Arsenal coming up on Saturday. We’ll have to look at the strongest possible team we can put with Saturday also in mind. But our approach won’t change, whatever the competition or whatever the situation is. Whether it’s the Carabao, the FA Cup or the Premier League, we know we want to win the game and we will do everything we can to try to win the game and get through.”
Wolves have already played Leeds once this season, losing at Elland Road on the opening day of the campaign and although changes are expected, Davis anticipates another challenging contest.
Steve Davis added: “If you look at the DNA that runs right the way through their club and academy, all the Leeds teams play with high energy and high intensity, so we know exactly what to expect. They’re a very direct team with their approach, in the way they run with the ball, the way they travel and the way they look to play balls through, while trying to break you down. They’ve got their strengths and they’ve got good players, so we can’t underestimate them, but you can’t underestimate any team in this league because they’re all tough games. They come here off a bit of form having turned their last few games around, so we know it’s going to be another tough game.”
