Wolves head to Germany aiming to make European History

It’s sensational when you come to think of how far Wolverhampton Wanderers have come in such a short space of time.

On this day in 2013, Wolves played their first home game in League One following their relegation from the Championship, their second consecutive relegation. That day they beat Gillingham 4-0 at Molineux.

The Black Country side have been through it all in the seven years since. They have won the League One and Championship titles, had back-to-back seventh-placed finishes, and are in the Europa League Quarter-Finals.

Wolves are just three games away from topping off another great season, and this meteoric rise, by winning the competition and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

It’s Sevilla who stands in their way of a place in the last four and the road to European glory, who since boss Julen Lopetegui’s arrival have been exceptional. The Spanish side finished fourth in La Liga, and have been fantastic defensively, conceding just 34 goals, which the third-best in the division, also keeping a remarkable 18 clean sheets in the league.

There is a somewhat romance between Sevilla and the Europa League, the Andalusian based side have won this competition a record five times, and under the guidance of former Arsenal boss, Unai Emery won it three years running in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

On top of that Sevilla are keen on playing English sides in Europe, they had broken Liverpool’s heart in the 2016 final in Basel, beaten Leicester in their Champions League round of 16 first leg in 2017, and also knocked Manchester United out of the same competition the following year.

If Wolves are to progress in Germany, they must perform better than they did on Thursday night. It was a cagey affair against Olympiakos. Wolves took the lead and won the game through a Raul Jimenez penalty in the eighth minute, but had to endure constant waves of attacks from the Athenian side throughout.

The Old Gold also had a slice of good fortune in the match, when VAR ruled out an equaliser from Rudy Camara for offside. Had that goal been given it may have been an even more nervy game than it was.

But what’s the old saying? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The fact they held out against the Greek side will no doubt be a huge positive for Nuno Espirito Santo, which may have been suggested in the team talk which followed the full-time whistle.

The Black Country side – like their counterparts – have also been solid defensively, conceding just 40 goals in the Premier League, keeping a respectable 13 clean sheets alongside that.

That 1-0 win on Thursday was also Wolves’ eighth clean sheet in Europe this season, another positive to take into their quarter-final clash.

Should Wolves win in Duisburg it will set them up for a semi-final date with either Copenhagen or even an all English tie with Manchester United.

Nuno Espirito Santo ahead of Wolves’ first European Quarter-final in 48 years

“We started against Crusaders more than a year ago. ‘Everyone has to realise that – it’s been long, long, long. To be in the last eight in Europe is huge – everyone has to realise the effort of the players.

‘I don’t know how many miles we have travelled this season. It’s crazy what we have done and I’ve told the boys to make it worth it. Let’s make this final effort and compete against a very good opponent.”

It’s been a long season for Wolves, in fact one over a year-long, which started on July 25, 2019, with a 2-0 win over Northern Irish side Crusaders.

But whatever happens for Santo’s side, it is a season to be proud of. To think that they have gone from Gillingham in League One to Sevilla in the Europa League in exactly seven years is something that many of their devoted supporters wouldn’t have expected.

But at the same time as time changes, so does expectations. Wolves will be hoping to extend their 383 day and 59 game season a little longer.

With Rui Patricio in goal, Conor Coady at centre-back, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves in the midfield, a potent front three of Adama Traore, Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez, as well as the promising Daniel Podence, Nuno Espirito Santo has a side as good as Sevilla’s, and maybe one that could go all the way in the competition and put their name on the European map.

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