Wolverhampton Wanderers face a must win clash against Luton Town if they aim to finish in the top half of the Premier League table this season.

Gary O’Neil has failed to win any game in charge of the Old Gold since March 9 against Fulham, and he will be hoping this winless streak ends today.

Against Bournemouth in midweek, the Molineux outfit slipped to another defeat, yet they could have salvaged a 1-1 draw had Hwang Hee-Chan’s late effort stood.

A VAR check ruled it out, but even if he had scored, the South Korean forward was poor on the night and O’Neil should mix things up against the Hatters.

Hwang Hee-Chan’s game in numbers against Bournemouth

The 28-year-old was deployed as a lone striker against the Cherries in what was his just his second Premier league start since the end of February.

He is still getting back to 100% match fitness, lasting only 51 minutes against Arsenal before being subbed off, but his display in midweek was poor.

During the match, he completed just 63% of his passes, while winning four of his 12 contested duels, losing possession 15 times, and having just one shot on target.

While it will take a few games for him to return to his best, O’Neil would have been hoping for greater attacking input than what he demonstrated against Bournemouth.

Matheus Cunha came off the bench during the second half as a replacement for Tommy Doyle, showing his class in what was a 35-minute cameo.

The player to replace Hwang against Luton

Luton have conceded 75 goals in the top flight this term, the second-worst defensive record in the division, which should give O’Neil the licence to unleash his leading scorer from the start.

Across 32 matches in all competitions, Cunha has netted 13 goals and grabbed seven assists, showcasing his importance.

Total shots

3

Total duels (won)

8 (4)

Touches

31

Dribble attempts (successful)

1 (1)

Accurate passes

12/15

Hailed as “underrated” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2020, the Brazilian has grown into his role well at the Midlands side, thus suggesting he must follow up his midweek cameo with a start today.

Despite playing for just over half an hour, the former Atlético Madrid centre-forward succeeded with 100% of his dribbles, attempted three shots, won four of his eight ground duels contested and made two tackles in what was a lively display to say the least.

He was even given a match rating of 6/10 by Birmingham World, with journalist Charlie Haffenden writing that he ‘certainly threw himself about and made an impact in the final third’ for the Old Gold in their eventual 1-0 defeat.

The same couldn’t be said for Hwang, which surely means it will be a straight swap between the two former RB Leipzig forwards against Luton.

A win could spark a mini revival which could see Wolves perhaps make a late burst into the top half of the table, but recent results may well mean that they miss out for the second season in a row, much to the disappointment of the Molineux faithful.

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