BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has predicted that Wolves will sneak through to the FA Cup final but only after a penalty shootout with Watford.
Writing in his regular column for the BBC, Lawrenson predicted a 1-1 scoreline in normal time but singled out Wolves manager Nuno for praise.
“You look at both of these clubs and everything is very positive at the moment,” wrote Lawrenson. “At the end of the season, Hornets boss Javier Gracia and Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Sanchez will both get honourable mentions when the awards are handed out.
“Nuno, in particular, has impressed me. I know there is an argument that Wolves have got greater resources than Watford, but you have to consider the way they play and the fact they are a little bit more consistent than Watford.
“I think this one is going to be very tight. I would not be surprised if it goes to penalties – but I do think Wolves will edge it.”
OPINION
The FA Cup semi-finals will be decided on the day on Sunday, with both Watford and Wolves looking to earn the right to take on either Man City or Brighton in the final. It’s very hard to put forward a case for Brighton, and Man City should take another step closer to the quadruple on Saturday. The Wolves/Watford game is much harder to predict and Lawrenson probably won’t be far off when he says it will go all the way. However, we just prefer Wolves. They’re edging it in the Premier League at the moment, albeit by a single point, but both sides are probably exceeding expectations in seventh and eighth respectively. Nuno has got his players capable of playing like they can win the FA Cup, though, and proved that in the 2-1 win against Man United last week. That was the second time they’d beaten them 2-1 in weeks, after dumping them out of the FA Cup in the previous round. They’ve got the game to take it to Man City in the final and we’d love to see them lift a trophy in their first season back in the Premier League.