Wolverhampton Wanderers welcome Newcastle United to Molineux on Sunday afternoon looking to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side go into the game off the back of successive 1-0 wins over newly-promoted duo Fulham and Leeds United, whereas Newcastle were beaten 4-1 at home by Manchester United last time out.
Match preview
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It has been something of a mixed start to the season for Wolves, who have been beaten heavily by West Ham United, been knocked out of the EFL Cup by Stoke City and lost at home to Manchester City so far.
However, despite those defeats they go into the weekend sitting sixth in the table and having won three of their opening five games of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 1979-80.
Back-to-back 1-0 triumphs over Fulham and Leeds were not entirely convincing but have got them back on track after three successive defeats in all competitions prior to that, as well as continuing a streak which has seen them keep clean sheets in each of their last eight Premier League wins.
The flip side of that is that conceding often leads to dropped points - Wolves have failed to win any of their last six games in which they have let in a goal, with their last such victory coming back in March.
However, Nuno's side have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine Premier League games at Molineux, and if they can continue that run against a far-from-prolific Newcastle side this weekend then they will back Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore et al to do the business at the other end.
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Newcastle's goal threat has certainly grown compared to last season, netting seven times in their five games so far and at least once in all but one of their eight outings across all competitions.
However, it was their defence which was eventually undone last time out as Manchester United scored three late goals to wrap up a 4-1 victory at St James' Park - a result which ended a four-game unbeaten streak for the Magpies.
Newcastle have only kept two clean sheets in 37 top-flight away games against Wolves stretching back to 1898, and considering the last of those came in 1951 they may not be too confident of keeping the hosts at bay this time around.
It could therefore be down to their attackers to get something from this game, but being away from home will not daunt a side that has scored 11 of their 16 goals in all competitions this season while on the road and that is unbeaten on their travels since July.
Last month's controversial late draw at Tottenham Hotspur added to victory at West Ham United on the opening day to leave the Magpies looking to remain unbeaten in their first three away games of a Premier League season for the first time since 2011-12.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form: WLLWW
Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions): WLLLWW
Newcastle United Premier League form: WLDWL
Newcastle United form (all competitions): LWDWWL
Team News
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Newcastle are sweating over the fitness of goalkeeper Karl Darlow after he took a knock against Manchester United last weekend.
Steve Bruce confirmed that the shot-stopper has made a "huge improvement" over the course of the week and he remains hopeful that he will recover in time for this match, particularly with first-choice Martin Dubravka also sidelined.
Should Darlow fall short then Mark Gillespie will be in line for his Premier League debut, having featured only in the EFL Cup so far.
Newcastle could also be without Isaac Hayden after Bruce hinted at caution over his hamstring issue, which is "more of a cramp than a strain" but could still be enough to keep him out of this match.
Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle remain out, but Sean Longstaff is fit to return following a bout of tonsilitis.
Callum Wilson has quickly assumed his status as Bruce's main striker, and he could become the first player to ever score in each of Newcastle's first three Premier League away games of a season.
Jimenez is Wolves' star man at the other end of the pitch, with his deflected strike against Leeds his 10th winning goal in the Premier League since the start of last season - more than any other player has managed.
Jonny is the home side's only absentee, and so Nuno could name an unchanged XI, although Traore will no doubt be pushing for inclusion from the start.
Max Kilman was named man of the match against Leeds last time out and is therefore expected to retain his place in a back three.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Boly, Coady, Kilman; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Saiss; Traore, Jimenez, Neto
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Darlow; Krafth, Lascelles, Schar, Fernandez, Lewis; Joelinton, Shelvey, Hendrick, Saint-Maximin; Wilson
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 Newcastle United
Incredibly neither side has ever kept a clean sheet in this fixture during the Premier League era - all 10 previous meetings in the division have seen both teams score, a competition record.
Newcastle are also unbeaten away to Wolves in six meetings stretching back to 1993, yet we can see both of those streaks ending this weekend with Wolves looking solid at the back and boasting plenty of players capable of hurting their visitors.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:dataVideo prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wolverhampton Wanderers win with a probability of 46.1%. A draw had a probability of 27.8% and a win for Newcastle United had a probability of 26.05%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wolverhampton Wanderers win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.84%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.26%) and 2-1 (8.62%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.88%), while for a Newcastle United win it was 0-1 (9.64%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood.
