Chorley v Wolves predictions, betting preview and football tips

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for the FA Cup fourth round match between Chorley and Wolves on Friday.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 7.45pm Friday

Best bet

Wolves & under 3.5 goals
1pt 13-10 BoyleSports

Team news

Chorley
New signing Jonathan Ustabasi is in the squad. Lewis Reilly picked up a knock on Saturday.

Wolves
Raul Jimenez and Daniel Podence are still absent.

Not got a William Hill account? Sign up today and bet £10 to get £30 in free bet credits.

Open a new account using Promo code H30 only, Min £10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

CLAIM OFFER HERE

Match preview

Take a sticky pitch, memories of a famous previous giantkilling and a Premier League side out of form and all the ingredients are there for one of those unforgettable nights of FA Cup magic at Victory Park – except Wolves have no intention of playing their part in an upset.

Chorley, of the National League North, have enjoyed a dream ride to round four of the competition, deservedly seeing off League One opponents Wigan and Peterborough before overpowering a Derby County youth side.

But the fun is set to stop here. Talk down Wolves as much as you like – and Magpies boss Jamie Vermiglio has said he's seen enough in the Old Gold to suggest his part-timers can pull off the ultimate shock – but a gulf of 111 league places between the teams should be far too wide to be bridged.

The playing surface will quite likely be poor – it was flooded on Monday – the lights will be dimmer than Ruben Neves and chums have ever experienced and the underdogs will be snapping and biting at them from the off.

But class has to tell and with Nuno surely having no option but to send out a strong side – as he did against Crystal Palace in round three – the visitors should get the job done.

It might not be a feast of goals - conditions could see to that. But expect a professional job to be done by the Premier League outfit who can prevail in a game featuring three or fewer goals.

Wolves are going through the mill but that is at a Premier League level. Getting pipped by Everton and West Brom might seem like the end of the world to Wanderers' diehards, the manager and the team but that is a level apart from where Chorley operate.

There's obviously a great back-story attached to this game, Chorley having beaten Wolves (a fourth-tier Wolves, by the way) 35 years ago in the greatest day in the non-league club's history. Wolves were in a chronic decline after a trio of relegations and unrecognisable from the top-flight machine they have become.

Chorley are here on merit. Their upsets have been deserved and they boast one or two threats.

Elliott Newby is a handful out wide, front man Harry Cardwell is a proper target man while Connor Hall has scored seven in 11 including in each of their two upsets plus the win over Derby's kids.

But that success was their only clean sheet in eight games and watching Wolves, even at their lowest, pinging the ball around in the last 20 minutes chasing the game against West Brom, merely clarifies that we are talking vastly different levels.

Key stat

Chorley have kept only one clean sheet in their last eight matches.

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport