Wolves vs. Tottenham Odds, Pick, Prediction: First-Half Total Has Value in Sunday EPL Match

Wolves vs. Tottenham Odds

Nuno Espirito Santo won't have to wait long to return to the stadium he called home for four years. On Sunday, Nuno and Tottenham Hotspur look to build off a sensational season-opening win over Manchester City when they head north to face Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While Spurs were attacking City on the counter and giving the reigning champions issues in London, Wolves were in Leicester struggling to break down a sturdy Foxes backline.

The X-factor for Spurs will be the availability of Harry Kane, who has ramped up his training this week and appears poised to be involved in some way. Whether that's in the starting XI or from the bench remains to be seen.

Wolves Return Home After Defeat

It looked like Wolves hadn’t changed a bit from last season on the opening weekend.

Wolves’ problem last season was an inability to finish their chances, mostly due to the fact that striker Raul Jimenez missed the majority of the season with a skull fracture. The Mexican is back and poised to lead the line again this season, but it might take him a bit of time this season to get back to 100%.

New manager Bruno Lage received a big blow this week when playmaker Pedro Neto, who fractured his kneecap in April, was ruled out until at least February of 2022.

Neto’s absence doesn’t mean Wolves are without attacking options. Francisco Trincao, who is on loan from Barcelona, and Adama Traore started alongside Jimenez against Leicester City with youngster Fabio Silva on the bench. Expect a similar matchup with Portuguese fixtures Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves in midfield.

Wolves spent the entire second half chasing Leicester City after Jamie Vardy scored right before halftime, which explains their 1.33-0.67 xG advantage for the game. It’s going to be a similar strategy for Wolves against Spurs, one that will see them try to make it to halftime without conceding.

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Spurs Face Difficult Road Trip

There is no doubt that Tottenham delivered an impressive performance against Manchester City, but color me skeptical.

In terms of a setup, there was nothing different about the way Spurs set up last weekend compared to Jose Mourinho’s time in charge. It was a 4-2-3-1 formation, although Son Heung-min was leading the counter-attacking charge up top and not Harry Kane, and the emphasis was on the break. Dele Alli found his way back into the team, but that’s about it.

Spurs were threatening on the counter attack, registering 1.06 expected goals (xG), but the big chances went to Manchester City. If Pep Guardiola’s side had an established No. 9 and weren’t trying to be the 2010 Spain national team, this would have been a different game. City notched 2.11 xG and were missing a clinical finisher.

Nuno's Wolves team always defended first and attacked on the counter in the Premier League. Through one game, I don’t see why that will be any different for him with Spurs.

That might work against the bigger teams, but Nuno will know that his former side is not going to be easy to break down. They have a firm identity, one that he created, and will provide a very difficult matchup.

Betting Analysis & Pick

Given how I expect both teams to come out and approach this game (with a defense-first, counter-attacking approach), I’m going to turn my attention to the first-half total.

Wolves nearly made it to halftime last week against Leicester with a scoreless draw, and Spurs did just that against Manchester City. Especially if Kane starts on the bench, I see great value on the first-half Under 0.5 goals, which is +165 on PointsBet.

Pick: Halftime Total Goals Under 0.5 (+165)