West Brom and Wolves squads transformed since infamous derby, with only eight players remaining | OneFootball

Wolves and Albion meet at Molineux on Sunday for the first time in two-and-a-half years, and the cast has changed. Only eight of the 40 players from January 2024 remain with their clubs.

ExpressAndStar.com notes the FA Cup fourth-round tie at The Hawthorns, the first derby in front of fans for 12 years, was televised on ITV and delayed about 40 minutes after crowd trouble began when a Wolves fan celebrated in the home end. Players moved to protect family members amid incidents on the pitch.

Wolves, then in the Premier League, won 2-0 through Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha, now at Chelsea and Manchester United. Six of that Wolves squad remain, with only two still at Albion.

For Wolves, Jose Sa, Toti Gomes, Tommy Doyle, Tawanda Chirewa, Hugo Bueno and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde are still on the books. Sa kept a clean sheet that day and is likely to start under Cesar Peixoto.

Albion’s pair are Conor Townsend, who left after that season then returned this summer, and Harry Whitwell, an unused teen then. Townsend is the only current Baggies player to have played in a Black Country derby.

Albion signed winger Mikey Johnston, initially on loan from Celtic, four days later, and he will miss Sunday with a long-term ankle injury.

The dugouts have turned over, with James Morrison and Peixoto replacing Carlos Corberan and Gary O’Neil. Wolves’ eight-season top-flight stay ended with a rock-bottom finish last season. The rivals also meet at The Hawthorns in February.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com

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