In-form Wolves poised to overpower Port Vale

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Port Vale in the first round of the English League Cup in the early hours of Saturday. Port Vale have been relegated to League Two and cannot match Wolves for overall quality, while the hosts come into the tie on a winning run.

Although Wolves have dropped into the Championship, they showed good competitiveness in their recent friendlies, winning three and losing one of their last four matches. They are currently on a two-game winning streak, having scored seven goals and conceded only two across those four fixtures, with three clean sheets.

Wolves attacker Feya Lopes has been in fine form, scoring in the friendlies against Doncaster Rovers and Racing Santander. After finding the net in successive matches, he could lead the team to another victory.

Port Vale are well behind their opponents in both squad strength and big-match experience. They recorded only 10 wins, 12 draws and 24 defeats in League One last season, while their average of 0.78 goals per game was the lowest in the division. That lack of attacking firepower is unlikely to trouble the Wolves defence.

Port Vale were eliminated in the third round of last season's League Cup, whereas Wolves narrowly lost 4-3 to Chelsea in the fourth round. With a clear gap in competitiveness and an away fixture to contend with, Port Vale face a difficult task.