Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s EFL Trophy clash between Salford City and Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Needing just a point to be sure of a place in the EFL Trophy knockouts, Salford City host Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s in Tuesday’s Northern Section Group A clash at Moor Lane.
The League Two hosts have been perfect in the section so far and are three points clear of their youthful visitors, although Wolves’ fate also rests in their own hands.
Match preview
As Salford strive for promotion to the third tier of English football, EFL Trophy stardom may not be high on the list of Karl Robinson‘s priorities, but the Class of 92-backed hosts are making a strong case for success already.
Champions of the competition in the 2019-20 season – when they overcame Portsmouth on penalties in the final – Salford have stridden to a pair of wins in the 2025-26 edition, defeating Wigan Athletic 2-0 and Stockport County 3-1 in Group A so far.
Three points clear of both Wolves and closest challengers Stockport, Robinson’s men will be safely through to the next round with just a draw on home soil, but a defeat will not prove costly so long as Stockport fail to beat Wigan.
Since the hosts last took to the field in the EFL Trophy, they have progressed to the second round of the FA Cup – beating Lincoln City on penalties – and collected a respectable seven points from the last 12 available in League Two, though they had to settle for a goalless draw at home to Cambridge United last time out.
Nevertheless, Salford remain within touching distance of first-placed Walsall at the top of the League Two standings and are welcoming Wolves’ prospects to a ground where they have shipped just one goal across their last 270 minutes of football.
The visitors’ preparations for Tuesday’s game and their most recent Premier League Under-21 clash were the furthest thing from smooth, as Vitor Pereira‘s sacking from the Wolves first team triggered a brief promotion for youth team coach James Collins.
The 47-year-old took charge of the seniors for their 3-0 Premier League loss to Chelsea on Saturday evening, a few hours after his Under-21s side were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa in the Premier League 2 courtesy of Rory Wilson and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba’s goals.
Wolves nevertheless remain in the top half of the 29-team rankings despite their West Midlands derby setback, and the visitors are only outside of the top two in their EFL Trophy group by virtue of a marginally inferior goal difference to fellow three-pointers Stockport.
However, due to Salford’s +4 goal difference compared to their -1, Collins’s side must win by three goals or more on Tuesday to be absolutely certain of a place in the next round, regardless of the result between Stockport and Wigan.
A draw would suffice if the Latics get the better of Stockport on the same evening, but Wolves’ Under-21s have no fond memories of clashes with Salford, who defeated them in both the 2019-20 and 2024-25 EFL Trophy campaigns.
Salford City EFL Trophy form:
Salford City form (all competitions):
Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s EFL Trophy form:
Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s form (all competitions):
Team News
Salford City recently pulled off one of the most notable League Two signings of the modern era, acquiring 34-year-old Fabio Borini – the former Liverpool striker and Chelsea Premier League title winner – on a free transfer.
The 34-year-old came off the bench in the goalless draw with Cambridge and is raring to go for Tuesday’s game as well, although he faces intense competition up front from Daniel Udoh and Cole Stockton.
However, fellow striker Jay Bird is sidelined with a serious Achilles injury, which could potentially sideline him for the rest of the season.
Wolves are slightly weakened on the attacking front too, as wide duo Tom Edozie and Ethan Sutherland were both taken off with unspecified injuries in the loss to Aston Villa over the weekend.
Leo Lopes and Josh Esen are first in line to fill in for Edozie and Sutherland should either or both miss out, as fellow attacker Leon Chiwome is recovering from an ACL injury.
The visitors also cannot call upon holding midfielder Makenzie Bradbury, who has been selected to represent the Wales Under-19 team this month.
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Howard; Oluwo, Cooper, Garbutt; Turton, Austerfield, Butcher, Butt, Longelo; Stockton, Borini
Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Benjamin; Lochhead, Pond, Olagunju; Okoduwa, Rawlings, Ashworth, Lopes; Esen, Gonzalez; Holman
We say: Salford City 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
Defensively diligent at home and faultless in the EFL Trophy so far this season, Salford should have little trouble seeing off Wolves’ young guns.
The visitors are disrupted by injuries, international call-ups and managerial uncertainty – all of which makes for a recipe for defeat.
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